Waiting for a New Baby Chicken on Nest
I think we all get 'that' craving every time spring comes round- introducing new chickens to our flock!?
In fact, with our first flock, it didn't even take us this long. After the first weekend, we went and got another six pullets.
Before we knew it, we had twelve pullets in our coop staring back at us!
Fortunately, as the first six pullets were still establishing their pecking order, introducing six additional pullets was surprisingly easy, and it happened without too much squabbling.
Unfortunately, this isn't always the case, and introducing new chickens to your existing flock can be a distressing and problematic time for both you and your chickens.
Our Choice for All-In-One Automatic Chicken Coop Door
Happy Coop Door - Weatherproof Automatic Chicken Coop Door Open/Close with Timer/Light Sensor, Predator Resistant Self-Locking Gears, Protection Sensor
- Plug and Play Design - Takes 10 minutes to install the door
- Up to 6 Months of Power with AA batteries - You don't need an outlet for the door to work, it functions on 4 AA batteries or a 6V battery (adapter included)
- Protection Sensor - Built-in sensor when closing to detect when there is an obstruction under the door to prevent injury to chickens
- Protects Chickens From Predators - Due to it's design, the notches the gear uses to open and close the door act as a self locking mechanism that prevents predators from breaking into the chicken coop. With this your chickens are protected and you can enjoy fresh eggs in the morning
- Door Will Open if Hell Freezes Over, Rain or Shine - Our weatherproof design has been tested to work during rainy weather as well as extreme cold temperatures as cold as 5°F
Our Choice of Treats for Our Chickens
HAPPY GRUBS - ULTIMATE MIXTURE OF WHOLE, HALF, AND POWDER OF BSFL FEED - CHICKEN FEED MIXTURE - 50X-80X More Calcium Than Meal Worms - NON-GMO, Molting Treatment, Great For Wild Birds, Reptiles, Ducks
- Egg Armor For Your Girls Eggs - Mixture of whole, half, bits AND POWDER of black soldier fly larvae that you can mix in your chicken's feed. It increases the strength of your girls' eggshells.
- Healthier Feathers - This product is better than bulk dried mealworms and helps keep your girls' feathers healthy and grow back quicker during molting season.
- Laying More Eggs - Because of the nutrient dense profile of dried black soldier fly larva, your hen's egg production will increase!
- Totally Safe for Reptiles and Other Birds - Happy Grubs is worm food that can also be enjoyed as bird food, reptile food, and turtles as a treat!
- Easy-To-Use Scooper - Our bag comes with a scooper that makes our bsfl mixture and powder easy to pour into a bowl or add to your typical chicken feed. It also has a clip so you can clip it onto the resealable bag. You can use it for feeding your other pets too!
Quarantine Before Introducing New Chickens
Adult chickens are much more likely to be carrying a disease or infection, whereas chicks from a hatchery SHOULD be disease-free. As a rule of thumb, we say if you are introducing chicks or pullets from a reputable dealer, this step isn't required.
When introducing new chickens to your flock, the first step is quarantining the new chickens and ensuring they don't have any infections or diseases.
When you get your new chickens home, make sure you have a separate coop (or a large crate) prepared for them. If you have a separate coop, you want to make sure they are protected in their coop while they are quarantined. One of the best ways to fortify your coop is an automatic chicken coop door.
From this separate coop, you can observe them to check they are fit and disease-free- the last thing you want to do is give your existing flock a disease from your new chickens.
The key things to look for are:
- Signs of lice or mites.
- Dull/shriveled comb.
- Blocked nostrils/ fluid coming from their eyes.
- Scaly legs.
If you are relatively new to raising chickens and are unsure what you are looking for, ask a more experienced friend to check your new chickens or failing that.
Head over to our Facebook page and ask us.
Whilst your new chickens are quarantined, it's a good idea to supplement their water with minerals to make sure they are fully fit before they meet your existing flock.
If you notice they look slightly underweight, make sure to feed them well to get them strong and healthy before meeting your existing flock.
Quarantining should last anywhere from 7 to 31 days. The longer you quarantine your new chickens, the safer it is for the existing flock because you have more time to spot any illness/disease.
During this quarantine period, make sure you thoroughly wash your hands in-between visiting your new chickens and existing flock.
This will prevent any disease and infections from spreading between the two separate camps.
Introducing New Chickens Slowly
We can't stress this next point enough- don't rush introducing your new chickens. Even if your new chickens don't need quarantining, don't just place them straight in with your existing flock.
This will cause lots of unnecessary trouble and fighting.
You need a period of time where your existing flock can see the new chickens but can't 'touch' them. The easiest way to achieve this is to place the new chickens in their own pen, placed next to the existing pen.
This way, your existing flock can get used to the new chickens without instantly squabbling.
Another popular method is to place a crate inside the existing pen and place your new chickens inside this crate. We've not used this technique as this is a more aggressive tactic.
Whichever method you decide to use, it's important that your new chickens are visible for around a week but kept separate from your existing flock.
Give Your Chickens a Proper Introduction
After you have successfully quarantined and 'visually introduced' your new chickens, it's time to physically introduce them to each other.
If your chickens are free-range, the best way to introduce them is to let the new chickens out first to free-range. Then, after a few minutes, open the existing coop up and let your existing flock join the new chickens to free-range.
If your chickens don't free-range and are in a pen, then the same principle applies, place the new chickens in pen first. Then let your existing flock out to greet the new chickens.
When your existing flock 'greet' the new chickens, you will find there will be some scraps and jostling as they establish the new pecking order.
This is perfectly normal and is a necessary step when successfully introducing new chickens.
You should only stop this jostling if one of the chickens looks injured. Or it starts to bleed- you don't want your chickens to experience any permanent injuries.
If you find that the jostling is getting more intense and lasts more than several minutes. Separate the new chickens and re-introduce them again tomorrow.
Please continue to do this once a day until they have settled down within a few minutes of introducing them.
You will find that each breed reacts to new chickens differently. Hybrids and Buff Orpington's are normally very laid back and welcome newcomers.
However, you may find that Silkies or Rhode Island Reds can be very territorial and don't take well to new chickens.
After the chickens have met and can stay outside together, it's time for the final play. That's moving the new chickens from their crate and into the existing coop.
You should find that after free-ranging for the day, the new chickens will follow the flock into the coop. And they will settle themselves in. However, if this doesn't happen and they try to return to their old crate- let them.
Then, during the night, take the chickens out of their crate and place them into the existing coop.
How Long Will It Take Introducing New Chickens?
All of the steps above might seem time-consuming and unnecessary to some backyard chicken keepers out there.
However, it's better not to rush these things in our experience and make sure due diligence is paid.
Quarantining: This shouldn't last more than a month. This will give you plenty of time to effectively assess the new chickens and treat any illnesses which they may have.
Visual Introductions: A week here is plenty of time for the existing flock to get used to having the new chickens in their presence.
Physical Introductions: If you get lucky, you will only need to do this once, and they will be fine. However, if you have a more aggressive/territorial breed of chicken.
It might take 3-4 attempts to introduce them physically.
Settling In: After the chickens have been introduced, you need to keep a close eye on them the following week. Make sure they are all eating and drinking properly, and also keep an eye on egg production.
Sometimes when you introduced new chickens to the flock, they go off lay.
So in total, you are looking at around 5-6 weeks from getting your new chickens home to fully integrating them into your existing flock.
Special Circumstances When Introducing New Chickens
Introducing baby chicks to adults
If you let nature take its course and have a broody hen that hatches her own eggs, she will protect her own chicks.
However, if you buy an incubator and hatch your own chicks and try to introduce them into your existing flock, you're going to have problems.
For the first 15-16 weeks, you need to separate the chicks and keep them in their own pen. It would be best to wait until the chicks have their feathers similar to the chickens in the existing flock.
Once they are a similar size, you can follow the process above without the quarantine stage.
Mixing Breeds
If you intend to introduce different breeds into your flock, this can also cause some unique issues- the main concern is the potential size difference.
Larger breeds will always be more dominant, so it isn't fair to introduce a smaller breed (i.e., Silkies) to a larger breed (i.e., Jersey Giant) as the larger breed will bully the smaller breeds.
I know some backyard chicken keepers who have successfully integrated smaller and larger breeds into a flock, but it can be not easy.
Tips and Tricks to Introducing New Chickens to Your Flock
Relocate Both Flocks: If possible, when you introduce the new chickens, move the existing coop and pen to a new area, so the existing chickens and the new chickens are starting with a new piece of land.
Same Size Matters: Try only to introduce chickens that are a similar size to your existing flock.
Extend Before You Introduce: Ensure there is enough room in your existing coop and pen before introducing new chickens.
Isolate Aggressive Birds: If you notice one chicken, in particular, is overly aggressive to the newcomers, place the aggressive chicken in isolation for a few days to put her in check.
Distract With Treats: When you physically introduce the new chickens, make sure to have some treats ready to use as a distraction if needed.
Don't Introduce Just One: Make sure you don't introduce just one new chicken. Instead, introduce at least two new chickens, so the jostling/bullying from the existing pack is spread between them.
Patience is Key: Remember, chickens need to establish a pecking order amongst their flock. New members upset the already fragile balance that has been created and established by your current chickens.
Step Back For A Moment And Observe: Sometimes, it can be hard to stand back and watch the drama, but as long as it isn't turning extremely bloody or deadly, it's ok to wait it out a bit.
After you've introduced new chickens to a flock a few times, you will start to notice the typical pecking order behavior. And you will be able to see if the behavior is too aggressive.
Roosters: Unfortunately, once roosters have reached maturity, it is unwise to introduce a new rooster to an established flock (with a rooster).
The fights that ensue will be bloody and exhausting for both roosters, and it may end in death. So unless you've kept your roos together since birth and give them plenty of hens, you cannot keep roosters together.
Protect Yourself: Make sure that you are prepared to break up a chicken fight if things get a little out of hand during introductions.
Beaks and claws will be flying, and if you do need to intervene, protecting yourself with leather gloves and strong denim jeans will pay off if you must insert yourself.
Have a Toolkit Handy: If you have to break up the brawl, have towels, boxes, and spare cages on hand to contain the rowdy flock members until things calm down.
Also, keeping a first aid kit with a blood stop in it nearby may come in handy if things get bloody.
Our Choice for All-In-One Automatic Chicken Coop Door
Happy Coop Door - Weatherproof Automatic Chicken Coop Door Open/Close with Timer/Light Sensor, Predator Resistant Self-Locking Gears, Protection Sensor
- Plug and Play Design - Takes 10 minutes to install the door
- Up to 6 Months of Power with AA batteries - You don't need an outlet for the door to work, it functions on 4 AA batteries or a 6V battery (adapter included)
- Protection Sensor - Built-in sensor when closing to detect when there is an obstruction under the door to prevent injury to chickens
- Protects Chickens From Predators - Due to it's design, the notches the gear uses to open and close the door act as a self locking mechanism that prevents predators from breaking into the chicken coop. With this your chickens are protected and you can enjoy fresh eggs in the morning
- Door Will Open if Hell Freezes Over, Rain or Shine - Our weatherproof design has been tested to work during rainy weather as well as extreme cold temperatures as cold as 5°F
Our Choice of Treats for Our Chickens
HAPPY GRUBS - ULTIMATE MIXTURE OF WHOLE, HALF, AND POWDER OF BSFL FEED - CHICKEN FEED MIXTURE - 50X-80X More Calcium Than Meal Worms - NON-GMO, Molting Treatment, Great For Wild Birds, Reptiles, Ducks
- Egg Armor For Your Girls Eggs - Mixture of whole, half, bits AND POWDER of black soldier fly larvae that you can mix in your chicken's feed. It increases the strength of your girls' eggshells.
- Healthier Feathers - This product is better than bulk dried mealworms and helps keep your girls' feathers healthy and grow back quicker during molting season.
- Laying More Eggs - Because of the nutrient dense profile of dried black soldier fly larva, your hen's egg production will increase!
- Totally Safe for Reptiles and Other Birds - Happy Grubs is worm food that can also be enjoyed as bird food, reptile food, and turtles as a treat!
- Easy-To-Use Scooper - Our bag comes with a scooper that makes our bsfl mixture and powder easy to pour into a bowl or add to your typical chicken feed. It also has a clip so you can clip it onto the resealable bag. You can use it for feeding your other pets too!
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Waiting for a New Baby Chicken on Nest
Source: https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/how-to-introduce-new-chickens-to-your-existing-flock/
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