Question about adding new chickens to flock

[hannahransom]

I have 5 chickens, and I would like to get some more 5 month+ chickens. I would love to add them directly to the same coop and am wondering if I get more than 5 if my old ones will raise hell with the new ones. Is there any way to integrate successfully without having to build an introduction coop?

 

[cafarmgirl]

If you just pop them all into the coop yes, a fight will be on and it will be ugly. Can you fence off part of your run for the new birds? And at night try popping them in a dog crate inside the coop. The idea is to let everybody get used to seeing the new birds around for a while before they share space. Chickens can be really horrible to new birds and if they get it in their head to attack to the point of serious injury it makes it that much harder to accomplish integration. It will be easier since you'll be introducing several new birds and not just one but if you let them gradually get used to each other it will be even easier.

 

[hannahransom]

Yeah I thought with more than one it might be ok. I will have to see what I can do, I just don't feel like fencing off an are inside of their coop is very reasonable and outside of the coop I would be more worried about coyotes at night (main pred. here).

 

[cafarmgirl]

Yeah I hear you, it's a pain in the backside. All I did though was get a little roll of small hole chicken wire and just unroll it and tie it to a few stakes. Nothing fancy or nice looking even but it did the job.