School me on adding to my flock (we have two and want more)

[froggiesheins]

Ignorance is bliss in my case. I have the most ecclectic assortment of birds and most were added one by one. First I do the quarantene / then in the run with a fence in between [newbee would go into the separate cage at night during that time.] Then SUPERVISED going with the others in the run during the day, separate cage at night. Finally they go in coop at night with the rest of the troops. Yes there is squabbling occasionally but nothing has ever been serious. Every bird was different as far as how long the integration took. AND if there is any serious squabbling "THE BOSS" [me] thumps the offender on the back of the neck till they behave, or the offender goes to "chicken jail" for the night. There is also alot of room in the run and many diversions, so that helps for less squabbling. Only one of my hens has to come in the house at night, she is a special needs girl and cannot fly or roost. I do not want her to sit on the floor of the coop and get pooped on.

 

[Wizbop]

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Okay, now, that being said, what if I get a different breed? Won't they notice she looks differed. I want a Barred Rock.

 

[Fred's Hens]

No, they don't care about breeds, only we do.

Different breeds, however, stand up for themselves more, while breeds tend to be reserved. If you could find a way to have 4 hens, the odds are evened out on the new and the old rivalries.

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

they don't care about what she looks like, at least I don't think. It is a matter of getting them to accept her as part of the flock... then they will decide what part of the pecking order she is in. I once had someone give me a game hen and she kicked everyone's butt including the rooster... She went straight up to the top of the pecking order. Usually they end up on the bottom unless there is a really weak hen in the mix. After a few hours to a few days, you won't even be able to notice there was a conflict and peace will reign in the flock once again.

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

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You can also take a mean chicken out of the coop for a couple days and then reintegrate and usually it disrupts the pecking order... Of course, if she is a really strong hen this doesn't work but I've had to do it a couple times to tame down a really mean head mistress!

 

[froggiesheins]

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You can also take a mean chicken out of the coop for a couple days and then reintegrate and usually it disrupts the pecking order... Of course, if she is a really strong hen this doesn't work but I've had to do it a couple times to tame down a really mean head mistress!

I did that once with amy gamey-mutt hen when she decided she was going to be a "pit-bull". I brought home a semi-wild gamey-mutt hen from the stables, where I keep my horse, and put them in "chicken jail" together. One night of that and she is now a "middle of the road" kinda girl......I know it was radical but I wanted to keep her. She is a LF and co-exists with 2 bantam size hens, 2 serama hens and 2 special needs hens with no problems.

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

Quote:
You can also take a mean chicken out of the coop for a couple days and then reintegrate and usually it disrupts the pecking order... Of course, if she is a really strong hen this doesn't work but I've had to do it a couple times to tame down a really mean head mistress!

I did that once with amy gamey-mutt hen when she decided she was going to be a "pit-bull". I brought home a semi-wild gamey-mutt hen from the stables, where I keep my horse, and put them in "chicken jail" together. One night of that and she is now a "middle of the road" kinda girl......I know it was radical but I wanted to keep her. She is a LF and co-exists with 2 bantam size hens, 2 serama hens and 2 special needs hens with no problems.

Special Needs Chickens. That made me laugh. All my chickens are 'special needs'

 

[froggiesheins]

Quote:
I did that once with amy gamey-mutt hen when she decided she was going to be a "pit-bull". I brought home a semi-wild gamey-mutt hen from the stables, where I keep my horse, and put them in "chicken jail" together. One night of that and she is now a "middle of the road" kinda girl......I know it was radical but I wanted to keep her. She is a LF and co-exists with 2 bantam size hens, 2 serama hens and 2 special needs hens with no problems.

Special Needs Chickens. That made me laugh. All my chickens are 'special needs'

You are SO RIGHT ON with that. But Little Missy really is a special girl. She is a rescue bantam gamey-mutt hen that has some sort of neurological and possible physical problems. She presents with, unsteady gait, bowed legs, high stepping action, depth perception problems with eating/drinking. She cannot fly or roost. I have NO history on her and she ain't talking either.

She does great with the "crew" during the day but at night I bring her inside and she has her "spot" for sleeping and visiting w/ me.

Believe it or not, she cannot get out of that box......I have seen her jump IN it but never out.

My other bantam hen [ another rescue] is an Columbian OEGB and she is blind in one eye and has beat up legs from ???? and walks with a pronounced limp but she can roost. She like to keep to herself but can live in the coop. Noone ever bothers her. My one serama hen will visit with her and my roo sleeps with her.

 

[abundantwife]

I would be nervous about adding a docile breed hen like a Brahma to two ( in my experience only) more aggressive RIRs. Brahmas are super sweet and also on the large side. I would check around and try to find a grown hen-- the Barred Rock is a good idea, I think that they are easy going, but still manage to fend for themselves. Hope I didn't offend anyone with Rhode Islands-- mine have always been great layers, but a little more eager to carve out their spot in the pecking order. BY THE WAY -- you could always build a bigger coop
and enjoy the wonderful insanity of MORE chickens! Good luck

 

[Wizbop]

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You didn't offend ME. My two RIR are very different. One is docile and DOOFY. She isn't that bright and follows the leader. Then there's Ida Claire. She's the BOSS and lets everyone know it. They are both nice hens. But I appreciate your two cents re: the opinion about the Brahma. I asked for feedback. I may go check out some Barred Rock hens and see what happens. Right now, I am really liking the idea of getting another laying hen and adding her to our already established and quite lonely flock. My girls are just sad and need somebody else to make their chicken family complete. We eventually want more chickens, but right now isn't the time to ask DH to build another coop for me. We need the eggs that three hens will provide us.