Wanted Please - Harrogate / York / Leeds area

[speckledbec]

Hi, I have 3 lovely ex-batts which I have recently moved from an into a and I would now like to add to my flock. The new hardstanding is ready for the cube to move onto and we have the chippings and everything else is ready so we're hoping to go and get some hybrids at the weekend

 

Having witnessed bullying by my hens first hand (to a homeless chook we took on who sadly didn't make it) I have concerns but the cube just seems so big for just my 3 and I'd dearly like some more... so this time I think I am prepared... has anyone any other ideas?

 

I am thinking of getting 2 or 3 girls.

I think we will move the cube onto the new hardstanding on Sunday so its new to all of the girls.

Spray them all with vinegar so they smell the same

I have garden poles to divide the run into 2 and I'm going to put the grubs either side of the 'fence' so they eat together

I have a roomy cat box for the new girls for the first few nights before letting them sleep in the cube

I have some anti-peck spray on its way just in case...

 

Gladys Ethel Brenda

[speckledbec]

Ooh, and are any breeds better than others to mix? I was thinking a bluebell, a black rock and possibly a light sussex... thank you!

[speckledbec]

Also (sorry, keep thinking new things) was going to get the new girls earlyish Sunday so they can free range together (with me keeping an eye) for the rest of the day.

[Cooks]

introducing new girls should be done slowly with seperate accomodation for a while

 

see this thread for more details

 

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=25886&view=unread#unread

[shiney]

Oh, its such a heart breaking time introducing new hens, good luck to you. We only did it with one last summer and it was a slow process, took around 3 months. Keeping them apart was a must for us as I am sure they would have killed the newbie, may be different if you are getting more than one. We let ours see each other in seperate eglus for quite a wile them let them FR together and then put them in one eglu for a few hous at a time. It was hard though, there was some awful noises at 4/5/6am in the morning, think the others could just sense them even though they were apart. Don't rush it, try and take it slow and good luck.

[Plum]

Some are lucky but I did it gradually and it took about 4-6 weeks.

 

First in seperate accomodation and little run then divided free ranging, then seperate in run, then sleep together but seperate in run before all in together. Perhaps I was overcautious.

 

Hope it works for you straight away but be ready to start again with the cautious route.

 

By the way when mine were in the garden seperated by net the oldies still tried to go for the newbies through the net so be ready with a squirter or broom to protect them.

 

Sorry forgot to say looking forward to seeing your new girls

[Olly]

I think the slow and separate method is best, especially if you're only introducing one - I did this when Pipi joined my old flock as a single newcomer, and even then she got bullied for a while.

 

However ... I bought three new girls about ten days ago, and decided that with two established hens and three new ones, they could stand up for themselves so I put them all in together. I have been amazed - not too much shouting, and they all slept in the Eglu on the first night.

 

The newcomers spend a lot of time perching on the Eglu table or on branches that I have in the run, and I've seen Sadie and Pipi deliver a swift peck once or twice when treats are on the ground, but there's been no real bullying and they have free-ranged peacefully together - it was totally different when I 'merged' two sets of grown-up hens, they shouted at each other for ages and were always two separate groups.

 

I still think slow-and-separate is best, but it's very time-consuming, so you could try the all-in method but be prepared to separate if there are problems. A good idea to get them on a day when you can be there to observe their behaviour, and form a view. Good luck with them!

[speckledbec]

Thanks for all your replies! Keeping them in totally separate accommodation is not really an option for me which is why I was going to halve the run for a while until they get used to each other. I forgot to say before that I have the run extension on the cube too so they will not be cramped up if I divide the run.

 

Your post is very encouraging Olly, I am still going to try and introduce them as slowly as I can but I am hoping that the equal numbers of both groups and the fact the new ones will be POL will help. I'm going early Sunday to collect them so will have all afternoon to watch them interact

 

After reading some of your comments I may put the new girls in their bit of the run and let my ex-batts roam about the garden rather than free ranging them together straight away.

[welshnik]

Warning - our two Black Rocks (from different flocks) were the real bullies, even to each other!!!! We had two hard weeks and now the two flocks are one, so we got three more..... glutton for punishment.....!!

[speckledbec]

Ooh, thats interesting Welshnik, I really like the Black Rock hen, I wonder if it might make it easier to integrate the new girls if they can stand up for themselves a bit? (Or whether I'm asking for trouble...)

[speckledbec]

Thanks for all your advice guys, I have moved the chickens into their new area today and they look so happy in it I can't bear to unsettle them, they've had such terrible lives already, so (for now) I am just sticking to my 3 girls, they all sleep in the nesting box of the cube anyway so hopefully they'll not get chilly in there (less cleaning for me too).