When can I add my polish babies?

[shortnsweet1025]

I have nine existing chickens (3 red stars, 2 jersey giants, 2 americanas, a black sex link, and a silkie). They're all hens. I just added a mille fleur hen and a young silkie probably 3 months old. I have 6 polish that are about 2 months old. They are a lot smaller than anybody else. When should I add them and how should I go about doing it?

The existing nine I let out every day to free range while the new two stay locked up in the coop. But they've only been in there two days and am still having issues with the big ones picking on them. I don't want my polish to get killed by the big ones, but their chick pen is getting too small.

Help would be great.

 

[texasgal]

Don't really know the answer, but I hope someone else will chime in...

 

[shortnsweet1025]

Update: I waited for a response to no avail. I added them in yesterday and kept my routine with the other older hens. I let my older chickens back into the coop last night about 7:30 and sat in there for a little while to watch them with the babies. My jersey hens seem to be the worst at picking on the younger ones, but I got a stick and if they went near the babies I popped them on the back like they do to the babies. After a couple times of that, when they looked like they would get too close all I had to do is hold up the stick and they would back off.

Today I went out to let my older hens out again about 8:30 am and everyone seemed fine. The little polish pullets and the young silkie were laying down together in the back corner not seeming to be in any distress and the older hens were kinda just doing their own thing.

So... Am I in the clear? How long will it take for them all to become "one big flock"? There are 16 all together now.

 

[Carpe DiHen]

I hope someone with more experience will give you an answer. I am new to chicken and my first batch of 6 chicks that includes a GL Polish (who turned out to be a roo). Reguardless, he is the lowest on the pecking order and gets pecked regulary. Poor guy never know where the hit is coming from. Even thought they were all raised together as chicks, they pick on him. Never any blood, but he's just so nervouse all the time. They are 15 weeks old now and he has never crowed, I think he's afraid to attract attention to himself. I wonder how it will be when he is ready to try to mate one of the hens? Also, my worst is my Jersey Giants hen too.

I wish you luck and hope someone else chimes in! Maybe you will have more luck since you have 6 polish.

Edited to add mine are all locked in a run and since yours free range you may have more luck. Also, have they gotten to see each other trough a frenced off area so your hens are not in shock when they see the top hats?

 

[midget_farms]

I have 5 polish hens & introduced them into my existing flock at 4 months old or so. At first they did OK - I have 2 buff Orp hens & 2 red somethings.

I had to remove my polish & put them in a seperate location.

As the polish crest gets bigger they can no longer see. They literally stare at their feet all day & just sort of sit around. When Big Momma came running to give them a good whack all the other young hens would scatter - but the polish just stood there having no idea she was coming.

It didn't get any better & eventually they were all bloody. I had to move them.

The thing is - with polish - they can't see the others coming & they are not active enough to stay out of the way. They literally just stand there & take the beating.

Since moving them they are doing great! They even get a visit from some of the other young hens who free range. The older hens never wander that far.

I hope yours goes better than mine - please keep a close eye as the polish literally can't defend themselves.

 

[acid_chipmunk]

My worry with putting crested birds in with non crested birds is, the non cresteds like to pick on the crests of the others and you will end up with bloody headed birds. I had a Silkie and a Polish in with non cresteds and they got picked on a lot. I got so worried about them that my hubby built new coops for the cresteds to be on their own.

I hope things go better for you than they did for me.