FlyingRamses Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I read with interest Eglutine's piece on introducing new hens to existing flock. Some further advice please, I am moving my 3 hens into a Cube from an Eglu in 2 weeks time and we are getting three new hens a week or so after that. The new hens will have a few days in the Eglu before we carefully introduce them. Do you think doing it this way is OK or should we introduce them all into Cube living together once settled, although this would be more difficult as we do not have extra accommodation. I thought of putting the new hens in the Cube first and leave existing girls in their familiar accommodation but not sure if this would just confuse existing girls further or something. Our girls have really won us over, they are highly entertaining and have fantastic personalities, the last thing I want to do is create any stress or upset for them although I appreciate there will be winners and loosers in the pecking order reshuffle!! Any thoughts, experiences appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I'm a firm believer in slow intros as I've always done it that way and never had any bloodshed. Some grandstanding and posing, but nothing more. Maybe if you put your new girls in the cube, they will have the home advantage as it were, but best to let them get used to each other before merging them fully IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaack Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 well since you are introducing 3 to 3, there is an even number so i would just give it a go. its worth a try as they may get on and if not you have nothing to loose, you can just separate them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alih Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Having just introduced 2 to 2 I would agree with Egluntine and say you need about 3 weeks before peace breaks out....we put the newbies in the old accommodation so they would have the home advantage and to dislodge the oldies' sense of being top. A week of keeping them separate with babies in the run and oldies free ranging around them, following the excellent advice re treats etc, then sleeping separate and ranging together, now all 4 sleep in one place and are together 24/7....I would take it as slowly as possible and it will be fine! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jillus Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I have just had an amazingly easy hen intro. I have two Hyline hens that are now two and a half years old and in March we got two Marans. Introducing them was not good and one of the old girls ended up with bleeding wattles after a particularly bad spate of pecking. Last week we got two POL Auracanas and decided to take a different tack on getting them together. We put the new girls into a small temporary run with chicken wire separating the two lots of hens. The Marans immediately launched themselves at the wire and there was much loud clucking. Still all the girls were safe and sound, and although there was a lot of low eye contact and clucking they were all safe. After a week we decided to just to put them all in together and see how things went. Well it went fine, the old hens just ignored the newcomers apart from the odd peck, but nothing major at all. The first night we put the Auracanas back in their own temporary house but last night when I went out to shut them in, all the girls were already in the hen house ( wooden coop) and in fact five out of the six were piled on top of each other in the nest box made for two! Today we have had minor skirmishes again but everyone is happy and the new girls are happily laying wonderful blue eggs. The only odd thing is one of the new pair, Trinny or Susannah, insists on remodelling the hen coop before she lays an egg. She scratches like mad until all the straw is out of the nest box and lays her egg on the bare wood. While she is scratching and flicking straw everywhere the others all stand around outside the coop looking on! My blog: www.moonziedoos.blogspot.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingRamses Posted July 28, 2008 Author Share Posted July 28, 2008 Thanks all for the advice, sounds like we just need to take it steady and keep a close eye on them!! Will update this once we get the new hens home and let you know how we get on! Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
