Tomorrow's introduction

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annbrdg

annbrdg

Hatching
5 Years
Aug 17, 2014
8
1
9
Hi all, I have had a rough year with raccoon - I ended up loosing four hens to them a few weeks ago. (Before you ask, yes I am sure it was raccoon, both tracks within the coop and caught in the live trap that same night) I currently have hens, a 4 year old Black Orpington who was hurt pretty badly and a two year old Golden Sex Link that lost some feathers in the same attack. The Golden aka "Red" is aggressive. The Black aka "Mama" is very docile. Mama is getting stronger and I think we are on a good road to recovery.
I picked up two approximately 12 week old Barred Rocks yesterday. I have them in a separated area of the coop system because Red will kill them if she has a chance right now. She is really territorial, and with the recent raccoon attack, I get it. I am hoping she will ease off after a few weeks and I will introduce them slowly.
My friend has an adult Black Cochin Bantam... fairly good sized for a bantam who she needs to get rid off. I am curious on which coop I should put him in if I get him. Will he be mean to the little ones if he is new to the environment and/or do you think he will be able to hold his own against Red? Thoughts?
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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So sorry you lost some birds to a predator. It is never easy to lose them this way.

You are doing the right thing in keeping the new birds separate from your flock for a while. It is best to keep the newbies in a cage or a fenced off area for several week. Everybody sees, nobody touches. After a few weeks you can mix them all together. Always put out more water and feeding stations for the new birds. The old flock will want to protect these areas and can starve the new birds out. Watch them carefully the next few weeks after mixing and if you have an aggressive bird, you may need to cage them occasionally. I have done this during new introductions and it can work well. You can also turn to pinless peepers if a bird is really aggressive. I have a hen that has worn these on and off for years because she is so aggressive.

As for bringing in large adult rooster. You should keep him separate until all the pullets are of laying age. He can hurt the little ones. So you will need to make another place for him for while.

Good luck with your flock and welcome to ours!
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Sorry for your loss!!!
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Keep them separated for a time being. Then when they mix provide extra feeders, waterers, hideaways and boredom busters.

X2 the large roo will hurt the young pullets so wait on that.


Glad you joined!
 
Thanks for the help. I think he will be able to hold his own with Red, as he is with another flock now, but I will keep a close eye on them. I was the most worried about the pullets. Great advice!
 
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. Sorry about your losses to the racoon. You've received some great advice from TwoCrows and Mountain Peeps. If you can't get Red's aggression under control, you can always put some pinless peepers on her. With them on, she will still learn to eat and drink using her peripheral vision, but she will not be able to see directly in front of her to peck at other chickens. If you're not familiar with pinless peepers, you can see them at http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/pinless_peepers.html. One of TwoCrows' hens wears pinless peepers. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with Red.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! Sorry about your losses, good luck with the new birds.
 
Just an update. I have picked up the roo and also three Lavenders. They have become fast friends already after only an hour. One of the Lavenders got in with the young Rocks, I have no idea how, but there was no issue, they seemed to just be perching together. I had locked Red into another area, she was upset when we put the Lavenders in the one cage area but was settled down pretty quickly once the roo was strutting around with them. The Lavenders are pretty big already... we may wait a day or two to let Red loose but so far I think the transition will be OK. I am sure there will be some pecking order that goes on but they seem to be good.
 
Sounds promising but, keep them under observation for a few days. I hope
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they will continue to settle in well for you. BTW Welcome to BYC
 

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