Sad Flock. Will my young hens enjoy new additions?

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Browniethechicken

Browniethechicken

Songster
Aug 18, 2022
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Massachusetts
I have a sad flock of 2 after a predator killed 3 of my hens. We are all devastated. I’ve already ordered more chicks and they arrive in 2 weeks. I will hand raise these with lots of TLC as I did with my first flock. My 2 remaining ladies are only 12 weeks old. When I introduce them to the new chick crew (at 6 weeks old) will they enjoy and love them and flock together more easily because they are still young?
 
They'll likely harass the the snot out of the smaller ones for a few weeks, as that's how the pecking order works. You can brood the chicks out with them if your coop's big enough, it might make introduction easier. just make sure the big ones can't reach them or they could kill them.
 
Yeah its not gona be that easy I'm afraid you will need to keep them both separate when chick's to outside wen old enough for a while but where they can still see each other but not touch then u will need to slowly integrate them under supervision ur older gals even at 12 weeks will peck and show them whose boss but u will need to intervene if gets violent and separate them again its a long process but rewarding in the end :)

Hey from the UK! Welcome to BYC it's lovely to have you here 😀 lots of useful knowledge and advice on here and everyone trys to assist with any questions or queries.
XxSamXx
 
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
I'm sorry for your losses. Were your birds attacked outside of their coop/run setup?
I recommend you brood the chicks directly in the coop using a brooder plate if the coop is large enough to build a brooder in and cover it with chicken wire or hardware cloth. That way the pullets and chicks can start getting accustomed to each other from day one and integration can start at 4-5 weeks for the chicks. They would likely have themselves integrated into the flock by 7 weeks and be fully accepted once they start to lay.
 
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So sorry to hear about your three hens -- tough on you and the survivors, for certain.

I think getting the originals and the new chicks to integrate be a process, but it's totally doable. I've had sets of chicks of various ages brooding next to each other, so they could see but not touch. I thought that would solve any potential issues. Usually, it did not. The bigger girls almost always picked on the smaller ones.

The good news is that once they settled the pecking order among themselves, they were able to integrate and live successfully as one big, (mostly) happy flock.

Good luck with your new girls!
 
Welcome to BYC. I am very sorry for the loss of your pullets
Please read carefully @DobieLover 's post from above. Do make sure security measures are in place prior to raising more chickens.
I don't generally have any integration issues, so it will depend on the personalities of your remaining flock, and familiarity.
If you brood them in your coop/run with the older girls, you'll have the familiarity, and the rest will depend on personalities.
Sometimes people do things that cause the process to go wrong. Such as adding a single silkie or polish to a flock of barred rocks or Rhode island. But most times, if we use common sense, the birds will be fine.
 

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