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[tweetiepie]

I know there have been a few topics on this, but does anyone have any more tips for introducing new chickens.

 

We have 2 chickens (6 months old) in an Cube and have just introduced 2 new ones (these are 22 weeks). We were told to put them in together as apparently keeping them separate means they still hate each other through the wire, and instead advised to put talcum powder on them. But this doesn't seem to have worked and one of them even had blood on it where it has been pecked on its comb (I've put savlon on the cuts now).

 

The new ones are now perched miserably on the ladder, but I think its going to be even worse tonight.

 

Should I bite the bullet and leave them together, or let the new ones have a cardboard box to sleep in in the run?

 

Any ideas? And any ideas about the talcum powder - should i have put more on?

[Baggins]

I have tried the talcum powder trick but not sure whether it worked or not .... there was some pecking but would it have been worse without the dousing? I don't know.

 

Evenings are often a lot easier as chickens become very docile at dusk and night-time as they start to settle down.

 

To a certain extent, you have to leave them to get on with it (harsh as it may sound); however, if more blood is drawn, the pecking will likely worsen as that chicken will be seen as "weak" and so may need to be removed until at least the sores are healed.

 

Not much help really but the pecking is normal for chickens!

 

Good luck and keep smiling - I'm sure they'll be buddies before you know it.

[Mrs Frugal]

See this topic as it may help you - introducing new hens

 

Good luck!

[tweetiepie]

Thanks, that a great summary. I had better go and put some new accommodation together quickly!! Pity, the throw them together with talcum powder advice the breeder gave me sounded great!

[tweetiepie]

I've managed to split up the cube by putting wire across the cube run to split it into 2, and putting cardboard across the hole between the nesting box and the roosting bars to give 2 separate housing/runs. Luckily I've got 2 glugs and 2 grubs!

 

The only tricky bit is that I'll have to take the old chickens out of the roosting bit (where they like sleeping anyway) and put them in the end of the run in the mornings, but it will be easy to get them out to free range from here. (The new chickens can get straight into their bit of run from the roosting bit)

 

If it hadnt taken so long to rig up, I might have got a picture to post before it got dark! Oh well, at least I dont have to worry all night that they are pecking each other!

[Jane 20]

We separated out our new girls for the first week in a smaller run inside the big run. It did mean more work in the morning sorting them all out though. The next week we let them out but they perched on the small run to keep out of the way but gradually got braver. Now they are all together and seem to be OK. They slept together from the beginning.

 

Good luck with your girls.

[tweetiepie]

Just a quick update to say, after living in separate ends of the cube for 2 1/2 weeks (the last week of which they free ranged together) we took the partition down and they are now all happily living together at last (with a few random angry pecks from the Gingernut!).

 

So, for all of you who are going through the pain of introducing new hens, the forum is right, they chill out after 2-3 weeks. Great to see them all getting on at last!

[Chickens@61]

i endorse this method too, after a period of time trying to fight through the separating wire our chickens ended up like one big happy family

[alih]

great news! I am mid process ( 1 week and a day) and it feels a bit like one step forward two steps back but they are now free ranging in the garden - the babies retreat immediately into the run if the bruisers get too near and there is the odd running and pecking but am hoping at the weekend to get them ranging inside the smaller netted area together. I am confused about the sleeping together though - some do it from day 1, some don't - mine are in separate accommodation at the mo...anyone any definitive answers?

[tweetiepie]

We built a separate house for when they were separated, and we left that in the run incase they wanted to sleep apart, but actually they all went into the cube accommodation on their first night together (and they all lay in the temporary house!!).

 

But we did have a bit of experimentation at the beginning of the second week where we put one new and one old together in each half to get them used to each other at night and they were pretty chilled about this.

 

My guess, based on how mine got on, is that they would sleep together ok early on, but the next morning could have been nasty!