Will 'operation get along' work?

Trio

Chirping
Apr 25, 2015
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Back story. I was at a chook auction 2 months ago. I came home with a polish rooster. My husband was not impressed and I scrambled to get a pen together. My 3yr old son and I totally fell in love with him. He would fly up and perch in the window sill while I did the washing up. Follow us around the yard and hand out.
Then I saw 3 polish hens for sale on a buy swap sell site. I grabbed them. I was thinking of hatching some chicks out, just like I used to do as a kid. I still remember sneaking down to the chook shed after dark with my dad and sneaking a look at the eggs under a broody hen with a torch.
Then with a bit of reading I discover polish are a non sitting breed. Heartbroken. I desperately want to see little chicks under a mum hen again. So we go to the next auction which was last Sunday and manage to snag what I think is a splash silkie. She is gorgeous! I kept her apart from the other hens for a bit, but she was just so lonely, I let her wander around the coop for a bit of company.
Spike the rooster was very interested in her and was pacing the wire.
The next day I let her into a big run with a middle order hen. Who instantly homes in on her and bails her up against the fence, at which point I seperate her out again.
I haven't tried a reintroduction since, till today when it happened by accident. The temporary diving barrier fell down and spike the rooster was in with her and had her pegged down in a corner and was continually pecking her. My neighbour called out to me from her backyard and I rushed in and pulled her out. Poor little thing only had a few spots of blood on her comb but I feel horrible for her.
So this is my plan. 'Operation get along'
First step, I have brought another silkie pullet. I am going to put the two silkies together in a run next to the polish run. They will stay there till the new yard arrives. Then I will transfer them and midnight to the new yard at night, which will be out if site of the remaining two polish hens and rooster. Hopefully they get along and I will leave them a week. Then I will introduce another hen, leave for a week. Then the last hen and leave for a week.
Then I plan to move all the hens back into the proper coop and move out the rooster to the temporary coop. Out of site of the hens. Give it a week and the reintroduce him. I just can't believe how mean he was.
So is this a plan that could work? Any way I could tweak it ? I plan to do all the adding at night so they wake up together.
Please help.
 
I don't know anything about silkies, but I do know I have two polish hens that are broody right now. One of them I have let hatch out chicks last year and she was a great mom.
Maybe my birds didn't get the memo that they were supposed to be a non-setting breed?
 
With multiple runs(and coops to provide shelter too, I hope) eventually you should be able to get them all together.
Best of cLuck to ya!
 
If your first Silkie and your polish were fighting, that's a good indication your Silkie is a roo. You might have some trouble keeping 2 roosters together. Especially with just a couple of hens.
 
It would be fantastic if they went broody!
At lest with two silkies they can keep each other company if they never integrate.
 
'cLuck' love it!
We brought our new girl home tonight. I don't think my husband was impresssed having her in the ute rather than in the box in the back!
It was dark when we got her home so I just slipped her onto the perch next to Hattie Henny Penny the original silkie. (In the temp coop) Our new silkie who I think is going to be called buffy is fairly young so I wanted her to have a little warmth. Anyho she was making cute little clucking sounds which spike the polish rooster must have heard, and he got all worked up even though he couldn't see her. He was crowing which he doesn't normally do at night, even in my hands as I was moving him into his box in the shed for the night. I think the 2 silkies will get along they were snuggled up together when I last checked, but I'm worried spike may never except them. :( I guess only time and persistence will tell.
 
I'm thinking my slash silkie may actually be a rooster. Her head feathers spike backwards.
How do chooks tell who is what?
 
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So the two silkies and a polish hen are all in together, I snuck her in last night and they seem to all be getting along this morning.
How long should I leave them before adding another polish?
 
All the hens are now in the temporary coop, I put the last one, scratchy in tonight. Spike is in his box in the shed and the chicken coop is empty. If there is no compotion in the morning I plant to keep all the hens in there for a couple of days and then switch them back into the real coop. I not sure when I am going to reintroduce spike. Maybe a few days after that I guess.
Also I went to a poultry show today. I saw some full grown silkie roosters. I'm pretty sure mine are he a now. Thank goodness!
The grand champion was an Orpington rooster. He was stunning. And massive!
 

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