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KimW

Introducing new chickens!

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In my book 'The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens' by Esther Verhoef and Aad Rijs it says..........

'If you already have a few chickens and want to introduce new ones to the flock, then this is preferably done at night when the animals are roosting and it is dark. Adding chickens to an established group in broad daylight is not a good idea. As soon as it is dark, chickens are not active and accept newcomers more easily.

 

Although a chicken does not have a highly developed sense of smell, it is nevertheless able to tell it's roostmates by what they smell like.

Therefore it actually helps to provide all of the chickens with the same smell.

This is simply done by spraying the roosting chickens and newcomers with some water with a little vinegar in it, using a plant spray.

By the time it gets light, the chickens are often already accustomed to one another, though one is advised to keep an eye on them at first.'

 

I am thinking about trying this out tonight with my new Bluebelle, the only worry I have is that they will be damp in this really cold weather. I don't want to do it if it will make them ill!

 

What do you think, has anyone tried this method?

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I have to admit that I didn't have much luck with the spraying method with my last lot of introductions, but the putting them together at night generally works well. I would give it a go first without the spray. Alternatively, you could rub a bit of something scented but non-toxic on your hands and stroke the chickens so they pick up the scent - any aromatherapy oil is probably OK in such small amounts (lavender or rosemary would be nicer than tea tree!).

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