introducing new hens to the flock

[Stacey Adele]

We have 5 hens that are 3 months old. Out of 24 eggs we got only 7 hens and we have now lost 2 to a predator.
I'm thinking of introducing 3 or 4 new hens but don't want to create a giant hassle for myself with birds not getting along. I read that it's best to introduce a few at a time, rather than just one, so the new one doesn't get singled out. I am wondering people's opinions on this. I was also thinking of getting a few that have just started laying (5 months old) but it occurs to me that it might go better if the new birds are also 3 months old?
Thanks for you advice!

 

[Ridgerunner]

We introduce different ages, sexes, and numbers of chicks and chickens all the time. Some combinations are a lot easier than others. But before we go into that, how much room do you have in the coop and run? Do you free range them? What your facilities look like and how you manage them can have a huge influenced in what might work best. How big is your coop in feet or meters? What do your roosts look like? How much linear length and how high are they? How big in feet or meters is your run? Photos can really help us understand what you have to work with so we can suggest techniques that may better suit your situation.

Until they reach enough maturity to force their way into the pecking order (about the time they start to lay) immature chicks tend to be afraid of more mature chicks or chickens. If they invade the personal space of the older chickens they are likely to get pecked or worse. It usually doesn't take long for the younger to learn to avoid the older. That's why they need more room. They need to be able to get away from the older and then stay away from them. During the daytime I seem to have two separate flocks. At night, they are also separate. The older may be on the main roosts but the younger sleep some other place. That may be in the same building or it may be an entirely different building. I personally don't care where they sleep as long as it is predator safe and not in my nests.

There can easily be exceptions to any of this. I see a lot of exceptions in my flock. But the general rule and what I plan for is that the younger want to stay separate. Any exception is a pleasant surprise.

Chickens are flock animals. They want to be with more chickens if that is an option. That's why it is best to add several together instead of just one. Several can form a sub-flock and hang together away from the others. A single chick may want to join the older ones because it is lonely but if it does it may get pecked or worse by the older ones.

My suggestion is to get all of the pullets you want to add at the same time. If you can, get them the same age as your current ones. Or wait until your pullets mature and then get mature hens to add to them. Try to add at the same maturity level. House them across mesh wire from each other for a week or more so they get used to each other before you let them mingle. It would be great if you can do that in your coop so you don't have to retrain them where to sleep but most of us can't do that. Exact details depend on what you are working with.

When you let them mingle they might skirmish some to set up the pecking order. Usually this isn't too bad with pullets or hens but if you see blood separate them out. If they are at different maturity levels you may have two separate flocks until both groups are laying.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

It’s actually not difficult at all if you have plenty of room for them and do an introductory period where they can see, but not touch the new ones. It’s when you don’t have enough space and/or don’t properly introduce that it’s a problem. I have introduced all ages many times and have never had an issue.

 

[Mrs. K]

If you have 5 pullets, they are on home turf, a slight advantage. Adding and equal amount or close to it, of older birds, they have a slight advantage of age. They will be separate flocks, even if they get along, until the younger ones begin to lay.

The thing is chasing and pecking is hard work, and if there is a lot of new birds, - well it is spread out over all of them.

But as stated above, A HUGE influence is how much space you have, and how the space is set up. If you have just a wide open space in the run, flat and 2 dimensional, as a lot of people do. Where every bird can see every other bird 100% of the time, you are going to have more trouble.

Adding clutter to the run, roosts, pallets up on blocks, or leaned against a wall, totes laid on their sides, as a little wind protection, mini walls out of small pieces of plywood, ladders or saw horses, where birds can get away from other birds really help.

Also set up multiple feed bowls, hidden so that a bird eating at one, cannot see a bird eating at another.

Sometimes you will get a bird that does not work in a flock, if so, let that one go, but generally if you add multiple birds there is a bit of bluster and it is over.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

plenty of room for the

This^^^ can be key.

 

[Stacey Adele]

We introduce different ages, sexes, and numbers of chicks and chickens all the time. Some combinations are a lot easier than others. But before we go into that, how much room do you have in the coop and run? Do you free range them? What your facilities look like and how you manage them can have a huge influenced in what might work best. How big is your coop in feet or meters? What do your roosts look like? How much linear length and how high are they? How big in feet or meters is your run? Photos can really help us understand what you have to work with so we can suggest techniques that may better suit your situation.

Until they reach enough maturity to force their way into the pecking order (about the time they start to lay) immature chicks tend to be afraid of more mature chicks or chickens. If they invade the personal space of the older chickens they are likely to get pecked or worse. It usually doesn't take long for the younger to learn to avoid the older. That's why they need more room. They need to be able to get away from the older and then stay away from them. During the daytime I seem to have two separate flocks. At night, they are also separate. The older may be on the main roosts but the younger sleep some other place. That may be in the same building or it may be an entirely different building. I personally don't care where they sleep as long as it is predator safe and not in my nests.

There can easily be exceptions to any of this. I see a lot of exceptions in my flock. But the general rule and what I plan for is that the younger want to stay separate. Any exception is a pleasant surprise.

Chickens are flock animals. They want to be with more chickens if that is an option. That's why it is best to add several together instead of just one. Several can form a sub-flock and hang together away from the others. A single chick may want to join the older ones because it is lonely but if it does it may get pecked or worse by the older ones.

My suggestion is to get all of the pullets you want to add at the same time. If you can, get them the same age as your current ones. Or wait until your pullets mature and then get mature hens to add to them. Try to add at the same maturity level. House them across mesh wire from each other for a week or more so they get used to each other before you let them mingle. It would be great if you can do that in your coop so you don't have to retrain them where to sleep but most of us can't do that. Exact details depend on what you are working with.

When you let them mingle they might skirmish some to set up the pecking order. Usually this isn't too bad with pullets or hens but if you see blood separate them out. If they are at different maturity levels you may have two separate flocks until both groups are laying.

Our coop is 8'x10' and the run is 8'x16'. There are also 4 roosters that aren't staying longer than another week or so, and 4 ducks that are staying. They were completely free range outside the run until a week ago when we lost several chickens when there was nobody home during the day. Now we are cautiously starting to free run some again during the day. The ducks are out at the river all day and only spend any time in the coop and run overnight, but will be in there more during the winter. We don't currently have a way to keep any birds separated.

 

[Stacey Adele]

If you have 5 pullets, they are on home turf, a slight advantage. Adding and equal amount or close to it, of older birds, they have a slight advantage of age. They will be separate flocks, even if they get along, until the younger ones begin to lay.

The thing is chasing and pecking is hard work, and if there is a lot of new birds, - well it is spread out over all of them.

But as stated above, A HUGE influence is how much space you have, and how the space is set up. If you have just a wide open space in the run, flat and 2 dimensional, as a lot of people do. Where every bird can see every other bird 100% of the time, you are going to have more trouble.

Adding clutter to the run, roosts, pallets up on blocks, or leaned against a wall, totes laid on their sides, as a little wind protection, mini walls out of small pieces of plywood, ladders or saw horses, where birds can get away from other birds really help.

Also set up multiple feed bowls, hidden so that a bird eating at one, cannot see a bird eating at another.

Sometimes you will get a bird that does not work in a flock, if so, let that one go, but generally if you add multiple birds there is a bit of bluster and it is over.

Mrs K

There is a currently a step ladder in the run for them to hang out, and a couple of logs, but no hidden spaces. We do have some pallets that we could lean against the walls and adding extra feeding stations would be easy. I've heard they also like to forage for food so we could toss some around the run floor (ground) to keep them busy. Or it sounds like, ideally let them free run for a few days. It sounds like it's better if they're the same age? Or is it better if the advantage of having home turf is balanced by the advantage of being older? Or is it not such an exact science?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Or is it not such an exact science?

It is certainly not an exact science. I can get very different results doing exactly what I did last year. A lot depends on the personality of individual chickens. How much room you have is important. Sometimes you can just throw them together and they peacefully work it out. Sometimes you work your buns off using all of the techniques and it is still a mess.

Certain techniques have been worked out that usually work or give you the best chance to succeed. But with living animals you don't get guarantees. We have all had different experiences so we may suggest different things. I know that makes it complicated for you.

Good luck!

 

[Mrs. K]

I am a bit worried about the ducks and chickens. Are there male ducks? I don't have ducks, but I think they should be housed separately.