New hens

[all4thel8dies]

Our hens all passed over the last yr from old age. I was caring for my mom who has since passed and we are ready to add 6-8 four month old hens. However, we have a 2 yr old rooster. He wore the old girls down to the point they would hide from him! I have two questions.
1) how long should we keep the hens penned up before allowing them to free range?
2) how long should I keep the rooster away from the girls? I’m afraid he’s just too much for them at 4 months old.

 

[Tonyroo]

Can you keep them separate for a long time to keep the hen safe.

The rooster can manage being alone.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Sorry for the loss of your mom. She was lucky to have you to help.
How close are the hens to laying. I also would suggest keeping roo separated for awhile.

 

[NatJ]

we are ready to add 6-8 four month old hens...
1) how long should we keep the hens penned up before allowing them to free range?

I would keep them penned up for at least a week, and probably 2 weeks or longer.

Chickens like to sleep in the same place each night. You need them to get used to sleeping in your coop, rather than trying to go back to the place they used to live.

You also want them to be used to the sights and sounds of your place before you let them loose. If they get scared by something, they can travel quite a long distance. The longer they have been at your place, the less likely they are to get badly scared when they are ranging (because they already saw and heard those things while they were penned up.) And the longer they have been with you, the more likely they are to find their way back if they do get scared and run or fly away.