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Steve.

Adding 3 POL Hens to Existing 5 - Feather Eating

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We have five Omlet hens - four are laying - although none are consistent yet.

 

I've read all the threads on introductions :oops: what what not to do when adding a single hen.

 

Will I go to Chicken Hell if I add three POL hens to the established flock without going through the introduction route?

 

Has anyone had success ignoring all the advice that is given, doing it their own, lazy and irresponsible way?

 

(Don't flame too hard!)

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Just a thought, but it might not turn out to be a lazy option! An injured hen could take a lot of looking after, need seperating for a while and then need a slow introduction after as well. I think the introduction advise is good for your benefit as well as the chickens - they can be really nasty to each other and it is horrible to watch.

 

I hope it works out whatever you decide. Maybe just keep a 'plan B' up your sleeve in case it all goes a bit wrong.

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The alternate is somehow cordon off the cube run extension ... and stick a pet-carrier in for them to sleep in.

 

I have a single run extension ... next year we'll probably build a walk-in run.

 

More chooks as we are being asked for eggs by *everyone*.

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well, I got 3 new chooks yesterday and put them in with my girls straight away (my OH doesn't believe in 'mollycoddling' :roll: ' We did it at evening time and apart from a few pecks and grumbles nothing major has happened. They have all been eating at the same time and walking about the garden together. have obviously been keeping a close eye on them but as my next door neighbour used to live on a farm, he was the one who said to just let them get on with it. They sort things out quickly enough themselves.

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well, I got 3 new chooks yesterday and put them in with my girls straight away (my OH doesn't believe in 'mollycoddling' :roll: ' We did it at evening time and apart from a few pecks and grumbles nothing major has happened. They have all been eating at the same time and walking about the garden together. have obviously been keeping a close eye on them but as my next door neighbour used to live on a farm, he was the one who said to just let them get on with it. They sort things out quickly enough themselves.

 

I don't let mine free-range as I'm mean :shock: and don't want them flying off. I've already lost my remote control helicopter and balsawood aeroplane over the fence.

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my next door neighbour used to live on a farm, he was the one who said to just let them get on with it. They sort things out quickly enough themselves.

 

Yep, one of them might get bullied to death but nothing worse than that. I think a farmers situation is a bit different to keeping chickens as pets in small numbers, and in a small area.

 

There was a post on here 2 or 3 months ago where this theory went disasterously wrong. I can't find it though........going to have another search........

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my next door neighbour used to live on a farm, he was the one who said to just let them get on with it. They sort things out quickly enough themselves.

 

Yep, one of them might get bullied to death but nothing worse than that. I think a farmers situation is a bit different to keeping chickens as pets in small numbers, and in a small area.

 

There was a post on here 2 or 3 months ago where this theory went disasterously wrong. I can't find it though........going to have another search........

 

 

No need for a response like that :( I was only going with the advice I was given by an experienced chicken keeper. And it wasn't a chicken farm he lived on, they only had a few chickens for eggs for themselves.

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I'd say just take it slowly and go through the whole introduction process. Or else just give the newbies plenty of space, so they can hide from the other chooks.

But try to do what you thinks best, and be prepared to take precautionary measures if anything goes wrong. :roll:

 

Edit claret... ahem, edited to correct my daughter's spelling :roll:

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We added two 30ish week ones to our then 6 ex batts but our run is 18ft x 6ft. Assume that's much bigger than a cube run.

 

The only way we were able to do it was by letting the exbatts out into the garden to free range from early morning for the first few days (new ones kept in run) and then we let them all out to free range together. The pecking settled down within a week and they were all sleeping together shortly after. Previously the new ones had been in a rabbit hutch as a temporary measure.

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:? Have just done 2 on 2 intro - in at night together and fenced apart in day. Snowy is the main bully - inferior herself as not laying anymore. Interestingly the older and larger of the new hens is bullied - as opposed to the little jasmine. 2 weeks on - only minor chasing occasionally, and exclusion from Eglu at roost time for Nuggett.

 

I can see from both sides as I helped out at a farm with hens, and it is very much a case of "get on with it - they will sort it out". However, it is different in an enclosed run area and smaller numbers. Ebony and Snowy went to the "farm" for 2 weeks - let them out in the paddock - Ebony goes straight for food and keeps her head down. Snowy - attitude from start drew attention to herself from one of the Sussex hens, and the cockerel had to come and sort it out :roll: .

 

Needless to say - both my girls spent 2 weeks in the trees roosting, as neither would or was allowed to go in the sheds. They had loads of escape space, and did not suffer at all from their "hols" - but I still wonder if there is a true "peck" free intro, regardless of numbers :?:

 

My advice - go for it if you are prepared to step in with counter measures (ready to go) - but do not be overly complacecent. It is called the Pecking Order for good reason.

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Okay I consider myself warned, chastised, and won't be doing this. Thank you.

 

If I bung together a temporary Ark made out of s"Ooops, word censored!" wood (which I have loads of :oops: ) would that do?

 

To get some weld mesh .... from this page http://www.hillsofdevon.co.uk/aviary-mesh.html would code OO363010 be the right one if we wanted to then make a walk-in run with the what I don't use?

 

Would having them sleep in a pet carrier that I move to the garage overnight be okay?

 

Sorry for all the daft questions.

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I do think the more chickens and the more space you have, the easier introductions are. I have a large run with high up branches to perch on. I put 2 new POLs in with 9 older hens. The newbies took to the branches and didn't come down for two weeks. I made sure that the older hens were let out to freerange quite a bit during the day so that the youngsters could get down for food and water. It worked well for me is all I can say.

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I now have:

 

1. 30 meters of 1cm-squared 90cm wide weldmesh

2. 2.4 meters x 12 of pressure treated 47mm x 47mm wood

 

Current plan is to have 150 cm long / 90 cm high / 70 cm wide.

 

This is a temporary run ... for the new chooks ... although not huge by any standards they will be in it for a short period of time and I need to be able to store it away when not being used.

 

So any tips on where to stick the screws? I've not made anything like this before :P

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My DW said I needed plans ... so far I have most of it together just got a roof and door to add.

 

It's pretty much nuke-proof given the thickness of the wood.

 

One question ... can I keep the new chooks for the week or two's introduction with the run side-by-side with the initial flock on the patio without ill effect?

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Could you not make the run so it goes onto the end of the cube run then you can keep them separate for the intros but once that is done you can keep the new run on the end of the cube run for extra space for that many chickens?

 

If we think they are squished we'll get an extension .... long term plans include a walk-in run for summer next year with the FIL retires!

 

Using the new run as a extension is a possibility ... although I'd have to change the door arrangement a bit as I made it for me to get in, not chickens!

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We must have been very lucky with our introductions, just made a bit of a temporary house from an old wooden box with a weatherproof lid, a run from chicken wire and then put the new hens in that. The farmer we got the hens from advised us this was the easiest way to go about it.

 

Lots of squawking from the original girls through the wire and lots of launching at it to try and break in. After a week we just let them all in together and apart from a couple of side pecks in the passing all was fine. I put extra dishes of food down so it made it impossible for the food police to stand guard over them all.

 

For the first week I let the new girls go into the temporary house to sleep and then one night found all 6 piled on top of each other in the double nest box! I have a run that is about 30 feet by 10 and two traditional wooden houses within that, they now lay eggs in one and sleep in the other. :D

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