Best way to introduce one new chicken to an established flock?

[BDutch]

Introduction
Yesterday I received a new Dutch. A 4 year old beauty. Her name is Kraai and she is from a family that moves to a house with a tiny garden. This hen was alone after the other hen they had died. Especially the daughter was looking for a nice place for her pet.

She came over with her dad and little brother to check her new home. Had a few tears in her eyes saying goodbye. Told her she can ask how things are going (whatapp). And come again to pay a visit after they moved ( if she wants to).

Kraai is Crow in English.

Kraai separated
Kraai is in a second run now that is attached to the run where my established flock is. There is a small cage in the second flick (meant for a broody). It has no real roost. I made a 5 cm plank for her to roost on just 5 cm above the floor. Bc there is no height.

The chickens seemed to ignore each other. There was no aggressive behaviour through the fence at all. That made me willing to open up the fenced opening between the two runs.

(The story isn’t finished. I come back to copy paste from another thread)

 

[BDutch]

One newby in an established flock is never easy I guess.

First I let them see don’t touch for a couple of hours. And there was no fuss when I opened up the gate between the two runs.

I had high hopes when I let the oldest (superior) hen Ini mini meets Kraai.
She walked up to her, just looked her in the eye and returned to other part of the tun.

But I couldn’t stay long to observe , and closed the opening again

Later before roosting time I opened up again and scattered some scratch for a full belly before the night.
But then Black my black Dutch (nr. 2) started to attack her. And after that the others started to attack Kraai/Crow too. I thought it was better to seperate again.

Roost time
When it got dark Kraai/Crow didn’t want to go in the tiny coop in the second run where I put her. So I picked her up and put her in the small coop. The others chickens roosted already in the other part of the coop. Silly Kraai/Crow didn’t stay in the small coop, but went to the other side and disturbed the flock.

Again Black was not amused and stated to peck her. At first in the neck. Kraai/Crow showed obedience but this wasn’t good enough apparently. Black stated to peck Kraai on the head and eyes too. So I took her away from the roost area and now I locked her in the small coop.

This morning when it was getting light, just before sunrise , I put her in the tiny coop in the second run.

Any suggestions for the best way to handle?
Can I separate Black/two chickens for a day so Kraai can integrate with the ones that are nice to her?

I already got some advice from @Ribh to keep her apart for a few weeks. I do appreciate her point of view and tend to do thus. But I like to hear more opinions on this matter.

By the way
We are going on a 3 week vacation next week. Our neighbour is taking care of the chickens. And I can’t ask her to spend much time with the introduction.

My flock usually free ranges in the garden a few hours each day. But when the neighbour takes care, they don’t very often.

So I have only a few days to work things out or wait with the introduction till the end of august.

@rosemarythyme & @aart I tagged you because of you both seem to have clever answers to almost anything.

Thanks for reading/ replying in advance. I don’t mind any discussions.

Kraai next to the old broody coop.

Ini mini and Janice on top of the coop

4 of the flock free ranging.

 

[Ribh]

BDutch, just a thought, the food might have caused the issue as your newbie was competing for rescources with the established flock. I would try again without food.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Usually if I introduce adult hens around the same size, I let them free range together, and I watch. Then when they're in the run and coop, the newbie is separated.
Most of the time intergration lasts only 1 or 2 days, then they're fully integrated.

Here's Dally when I got her. She is a polkie, so the same size as my silkies and Brochins. Bigger than my pekin and d'uccles. She wasn't allpwed to free range at first because she was extremely skittish.

I kept her in that setup for 2 days. She was welcomed into the flock. I had Loki at the time, a black brochin, who you can see in the first photo. He was very interested in her from the start, and they hit it off... A lot...
(Btw the roo in this photo isn't Loki)

Recently I adopted my first standard-sized hen. She's an oldie too. I let her free range with them, because she was large, slow and was used to handling, so I could catch her if I needed to. She only got a few gentle pecks from the top hen (a brochin). The other hens didn't mind her. She was big, so if a hen (other than the top Brochins) pecked her, she could peck back. Most of my hens have to jump up if they want to peck her!

When I locked them up in the run that day, I separated her. But the next day she was with the flock, and fit in very well.
This photo is her a couple days later, with my smallest hen, who she had befriended. In the background you can see some of my other hens.

Here are all my adults, all having breakfast together.

 

[aart]

Have never done this....but would probably follow some of these suggestions:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-a-single-hen-to-an-existing-flock.71997/

 

[BDutch]

BDutch, just a thought, the food might have caused the issue as your newbie was competing for rescources with the established flock. I would try again without food.

Yes. You are right the fighting was about something to compete about. It was when food was around. (I did scatter the food to prevent fighting over a bowl with food) .
And when Kraai claimed a piece of the roost at bedtime.

But I can’t open up for a long time then, because there’s always a moment that there is food or something else to fight about.

For a slow (but faster) integration it might work.

 

[BDutch]

Usually if I introduce adult hens around the same size, I let them free range together, and I watch. Then when they're in the run and coop, the newbie is separated.
Most of the time intergration lasts only 1 or 2 days, then they're fully integrated.

Here's Dally when I got her. She is a polkie, so the same size as my silkies and Brochins. Bigger than my pekin and d'uccles. She wasn't allpwed to free range at first because she was extremely skittish.
View attachment 3208662

I kept her in that setup for 2 days. She was welcomed into the flock. I had Loki at the time, a black brochin, who you can see in the first photo. He was very interested in her from the start, and they hit it off... A lot...
(Btw the roo in this photo isn't Loki)
View attachment 3208663

Recently I adopted my first standard-sized hen. She's an oldie too. I let her free range with them, because she was large, slow and was used to handling, so I could catch her if I needed to. She only got a few gentle pecks from the top hen (a brochin). The other hens didn't mind her. She was big, so if a hen (other than the top Brochins) pecked her, she could peck back. Most of my hens have to jump up if they want to peck her!
View attachment 3208664

When I locked them up in the run that day, I separated her. But the next day she was with the flock, and fit in very well.
This photo is her a couple days later, with my smallest hen, who she had befriended. In the background you can see some of my other hens.
View attachment 3208665

Here are all my adults, all having breakfast together.
View attachment 3208666

Thanks. I’m glad I could read about you’re adds to the flock.

But I have the guts it is too soon to let her free range. I am afraid she won’t return to the coop.

I wonder when it will be safe to let her free range and be sure she comes back to the run/coop.

My situation is different because I have no rooster.

 

[BDutch]

Have never done this....but would probably follow some of these suggestions:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-a-single-hen-to-an-existing-flock.71997/

Thanks Aart. I read the story. It probably helpful as a warning.
I am lucky the agression isn’t as bad as described. So I hope that integrating won’t be that hard for Kraai.

Taking small steps is a good strategy I suppose. But I have only 5 days and can’t do this the upcoming weeks.

 

[BDutch]

I have a plan now, thanks to all the advice/read,

I make the broody coop in the second run a bit higher with a roost and more ventilation.

During the day I will open the ‘gate’ for s while when I am around. No extra food at that moment.

Tonight I leave her in the second run apart from the others. And only if its really dark and she has not roosted in the broody coop , I will pick her up and put her on the roost. This second run is only 6 m2 , so its never hard to find her.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I wonder when it will be safe to let her free range and be sure she comes back to the run/coop.

This is the reason I didn't let Dally free range

1. I wouldn't have been able to lead her to the coop because she would run away
2. I wouldn't have been able to pick her up in an emergency
3. I didn't want her to fly over the fence in fear of me.

With Katie, I had to lift her up and take her to the new coop. She knew where it was the next day and laid an egg in it.

My situation is different because I have no rooster.

I only had a rooster when I got Dally, not when I got Katie.

My note to you is if only one hen isn't welcoming her, separate that one instead, let the new one and the others establish a pecking order, then release the bully.