integrating one pullet into a flock of two in an Eglu

[TheRealKirsten]

The different breed shouldn’t make any difference unless the newbie is a lot smaller.
I keep my babies in the baby cage for at least two weeks.
I’m getting two more on Friday and will be putting the plastic Wendy house inside a fruit cage for two weeks (with a perch and cat litter tray filled with hemp shavings just incase they want to lay an egg).
Then I, supervised, let them out. If there’s no blood I leave them to it and remove the Wendy house. Normally there’s a bit of warnings off but that’s all.

I think everyone has there own introduction method, mine works well for me.

Naughty of the supplier to get it wrong though, very naughty. Under the circumstances I might even consider exchanging her before you get too attached, remember that you will have her for a long time.

I don't think that's true. I think if you have two of one breed that are grownups and introduce a pullet that's a different breed, the grownups will be less accepting than they would be of a pullet that's the same breed. They all get along fine now and I like them all but the baby is my favorite. I think going forward I might look for a Buckeye instead of Rhode Island Red when it's time for a new one.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Nah, chickens are not prejudiced against birds of other breeds. Unless one chicken looks really odd or unusual to them, like one Polish in a flock of chickens that don't have topknots.

 

[TheRealKirsten]

Picture of the hanging bucket, and other clutter that you added.

When you just put a new bird in with others, there's bound to be problems. It usually works best if you can introduce a new bird on the other side of a fence, so they can see each other but not have physical contact for at least a week, preferably two, before removing the barrier and letting them mingle. We call this the "see-no-touch" method of integration.

I did see-no-touch when I introduced this pullet but I wish I had done it longer. I don't move her in with the grownups until they stopped reacting to her through the fence.

 

[TheRealKirsten]

Picture of the hanging bucket, and other clutter that you added.

Here is a picture that shows the lean to (a board I drilled 3 holes in and used zip-ties to attach to the side), one of the extra feeders, the perch, and the bucket before I figured out how to make it so I could lift it up and out of the way from the outside when I move the coop.

 

[TheRealKirsten]

Picture of the hanging bucket, and other clutter that you added.

Here are two close-ups of the bucket the way it is now. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the bucket and then threaded the rope through a fender washer, the bucket, another fender washer, and tied a knot in the rope. Then I attached the other end of the rope to an S-hook using a hang-man's loop and adjusted it so the bucket just touches the ground when it's hanging from the S-hook. When I move the coop I pick up the S-hook and lift the bucket up and hook the S-hook to the side of the cage.