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[the bradley bunch]

hi guys,

 

me & hubby went to the annual eccleshall show yesterday, as we do every year, and we ended coming home with a homeless hen completely unprepared

basically this is what happened - there is a reputable breeder who attends the show, so we went with the intention of talking to her about introducing a pair of pekins to our trio of ex-bats next spring, and also to arrange a visit to her breed centre to have a look around (at the conditions) beforehand. so we were trying to be responsible chicken keepers .

of course once there we couldn't resist a sneaky peek and a bit of 'baby talk' to the little chooks being re-homed at the show, and we noticed one bird in a run all on it's own which people were just passing by . the label on the run said 'silkie pullets', but it had been marked 'all gone - more at home please ask if interested'. so what was this little chicken if she wasn't a silkie? she did have very silkie features but didn't have the trademark fluffly feathers or feathered legs ...i knocked on the cabin door and spoke to the breeders (a family run business) and asked what breed the bird was, and the eldest lady replied 'i don't know', she said 'but you can have her as a gift if you like'.

at first i was apprehensive and my intial thought was this is either a joke or there is something wrong with this bird. i asked the lady if she was serious and of course 'why?' would she want to just give it away, and she explained that this little bird had hatched from a batch of white silkie eggs, and that it was 100% not a silkie and that she had never seen anything like it before. then she looked me straight in the eyes and told me '"Ooops, word censored!"ody wants her, and i just want a good home for her'. i looked at the bird all alone and how could i resist? me & hubby discussed it and we decided that since it was so early in the day we'd trust the lady's motives (she could have easily waited till the end of the show to see if anybody bought it, then contacted us at that point)...and after holding the bird to check it's temperment & to give it a health check over, i immediately fell in love with it's tame & cuddly nature so it came home with us.

now i believe the old lady just genuinely cared more for the bird's welfare than the money she might have made from it...she even said she'd take it back if we had any problems...but maybe i am a bit of a sucker when it comes to animals, and maybe i have been a sucker in this instance. but either way i have this chicken now and she is my responsibilty, so i really need some advice from my fellow omletters on how best to care for her and how to integrate her into my trio of ex-bats.

 

now i don't know if this makes a difference in any advice given but the ex-bats were only rescued 4 months ago, therefore they are still growing back their feathers and still building up their strength following life in a battery farm.

the new girl is 4 and 1/2 months old, although she is only slightly smaller than the ex-bats - will add some photos to this post as soon as i get a spare minute to upload them.

and just for fun - she has gorgeous black/green feathers, and yesterday she kept standing on my feet and looking up at me to pick her up for cuddles

 

hubby has been such a hero and within 1 hour of us getting home yesterday he had built her a little wooden house (it's actually better than the one we paid £200 for!) with a small wire run area actually forming part of it - it's a truly genius design, and has also sectioned off a safe area of the garden for her to have a proper wonder around in; and so that the other girls can see her whilst free ranging. then last night we put her new house in the garage (which was well ventilated) and covered it over with a curtain because the garage has windows (but not covering the ventilation holes hubby had made at the back of the house). we then left her safely tucked up with some food and water available.

this morning realising i'd overslept at 9 o'clock! and ran down to the garage and opened the door to find my little angel soundly sleeping i gently stroked her to wake her up and sat with her whilst she had a drink & some food. today she will stay in her sectioned off area of the garden again while the other girls free range so that they can familiarise themselves with one another.

 

but it's at this stage that i need some advice as i'm unsure where to go from here. i plan to:

continue with this set-up for 5 days, then on the 6th day introduce just 1 of my girls to the newbie - is this a good idea and would you advise pairing her up with the 'top' hen, the 'middle' hen or the 'bottom' hen (nb: the middle & bottom hen are best friends and have a good bond).

continue to pair the new girl & chosen ex-bat up for 2-3 days, initially just in the evening time but then for longer periods depending on how it goes.

after 7-10 days (once the pair have bonded) let all 4 girls free-range together, but keeping the newbie seperate at night.

on the 14th night put the newbie in the house with the 3 ex-bats (providing they are all getting along at this point).

if anyone has any comments or suggestions regarding the above 'plan' i will not be offended!

 

i also have a few questions i'd really appreciate answering:

regarding scattering treats along the dividing line between the girls – is there anything the younger hen can’t have? we normally use corn, meal worm, or occassionally a small amount of bread crumb as a treat.

what food should the younger girl be having? – we currenty use Allen & Page ex-bats pellets, but she was eating wild bird food at the show so we've provided her with a choice of ex-bat pellets, ex-bat crumb, and bird seed, and the bird seed is what she's choosing to eat - but obviously this isn't ideal so we're going to go out & buy her some grower pellets today - any advice on what sort? or if the ex-bat food is fine for her should we just encourage her to eat this?

also, will she need a different (smaller) type of grit, as our current grit from flyte so fancy looks like small stones rather than grit, so i think this will be much too big for her.

can she have cider vinegar & garlic juice in her water like the others?

can I use diatom as normal (on her and in the house)?

when & will she need her wings clipping? i currently have no experience of this as I’ve only ever kept ex-bats who apparently don’t need this doing.

 

is there anything else i've missed/haven't thought of?

 

sorry about the length of the post! i just want to make sure i'm doing everything right for both the new girl and the ex-bats.

hopefully later when i post some pics you can also all have a go at identifying the breed of the newbie!

 

thanks in advance for the help

[Mercedes55]

I can't really answer any of your questions as I am quite new to keeping hens myself, but having read your post I just wanted to say that I'm sure most of us would have done the same in your situation when faced with a little hen like that. She sounds adorable.

 

We also have 4 ex batts and we've had them for 2mths and yesterday got 4 pure breeds who are 14wks old. Our ex batts are still in quite a state, but from what I have read ex batts tend to bully other birds as that is sadly what the battery farms turn them into.

 

Now this morning one of our new girls scaled over the divider in the WIR and 2 of our ex batts immediately went over and started pecking her. I'm just glad my OH was here to take control as I think I'd have gone to pieces trying to get hold of the new girl.

 

I've put just ordinary grit in with my new girls and have been giving them ex batts crumbs as that was all the food I had. However I do intend getting some growers when I can get to a shop that sells it.

 

I am also interested to know the best way to integrate new girls with an existing flock. As you only have 1 new girl it makes sense to me as a novice to introduce them in the way you suggest as it would be really hard to put her in with 3 all at once. Hopefully someone who has been through the same experience as yourself will be able to offer some advice

[Mollie333]

Awww.

 

Sounds as if you are a very good hen mummy.

 

Remember to worm her/ check her for mites. Other than that you're all sorted i think!

 

Has she got a name?

 

Will watch this post for pictures.

[meezers]

I think your plan of action is the way to go. I might introduce another ex bat to the mix once she has bonded with the first though,so she'll have 2 she's used to before meeting the other 2. I'd be inclined to introduce the bottom hen, but it depends on how much of a bully the top hen is ? either way, I think the new one is going to be bottom of the pecking order.

The other way you could go ( and I'm just suggesting ) is to forget about introducing her to the ex batts, and get her a couple of little friends of her own - it sounds as though your husband is quite capable of building them a seperate run and house- and you did say you werre thinking of more chooks in the spring

 

Sorry, just realised I've completely ignored your other questions ! just treat her as any other chook with regards food, treats, grit etc. At 4 1/2 months ( 18 weeks ? ) she will soon be starting on layers pellets, so I wouldn't go buying growers especially for her- she'll never finish the bag.

I've never clipped the wings of mine - and I've a couple that can fly if they put their mind to it, but after the first couple of months they tend to stay on the ground. If she's got some silkie in her , chances are she's not going to be flying anyway. I'd wait and see, sounds as though she's cuddly enough to catch if you need to

[Lavenders_Blue]

I recently introduced one new hen that I acquired to my 4 ex batts, however my situation was slightly different in that the new girl was a similar age to my ex batts whereas your new girl is much younger.

 

The way I did it was to keep the new girl separate for a week, dividing the run by chicken wire. I fed treats along the divide every day. There was a lot of squaring up through the divide (mostly insigated by the new girl) but as this started to subside I took the plunge and just let them in together. In my case I was lucky that the new girl held her own very well and within less than 60 seconds had established herself as top hen!

 

However, I would say you know your old girls and new girl best and how you feel an introduction should proceed. If you feel that 3 oldies vs 1 newbie is a recipe for disaster then you should go ahead and use the method you have described above.

 

Sorry, that's probably not very helpful, I guess I am trying to say that there is not 1 failsafe way to introduce a new hen but rather you should go with what is best for your situation. You're clearly prepared to take the introduction slowly so I'm sure it will work out just fine - good luck!

[CallyChook]

When I've hada new hen, I've found it easier to just go ahead and place the new one in the coop with the old ones of an evening, and then kept a close eye the following day - I haven't had a problem that way but I know it is not the most cautious of approaches. My girls have enough space in their run and enough hiding space that if there is a bit of a scuffle, there's always a place of safety not far away.

 

I've never had ex bats so no idea how their beginnings in life affect their personalities or behaviour.

 

I would love to see photos of the new girl, I can't picture in my head what she looks like but I'm a sucker for all things silkiesque!

 

I think your introductory plan sounds like a good one, even perhaps over cautious but I would go with your instincts as I am no hen expert! I think I'd be more worried that by adding an ex-bat to the newbie, you've then rearranged the remaining two's pecking order, so instead of adding one new chicken to an established 3-point hierarchy, you then have to add two equal factions, so every hen is then starting afresh with the pecking order and that to me seems more disruption than a simple one-on-three introduction.

 

Definitely go with the more experienced members opinions as I have only been keeping hens for 14 months now. The very best of luck with the new girl, I'd totally have done the same and taken her on and she sounds a little darling.

[WitchHazel]

IMHO, you careful approach is the best one.

 

Your newbie has three disadvantages, any one of which means that a softly-softly approach is called for. One, she is very young and is therefore ulikely to be able to defend herself or stand up for herself if she gets bullied; Two, there is only one of her and several of the others, so she is not only going to get picked on, she will get 100% o fthe picking from 100% of the established girls; Three, the resident hens are ex batts and are likely to feel even more threatened by a newcomer than non-ex-batts would.

 

I think that introducing her to just one of the other hens will be a good start. It does mean she'll have to go through the process more than once, but it will give her time to adjust.

 

She sounds gorgeous. Would love to see some pics when you get a chance.

[Cheryl]

I would keep the newbies separate for about 7-10 days but able to see each other then they will all be fine I have introduced lots and lots of newbies to my stock, and they are all fine after a few days together, buy some pecking spray, if you see any pecking going on use it, or use it anyway, it sure works "! .

[alet_chicken]

Hi, I think your slowly-slowly divide-and-conquer approach is well thought out. I can't advise on which ex-batt to pair her up with, it really depends on their personalities. For sure the new girl will be at the bottom of the pecking order, at least to start with.

 

When you pair her up with an ex-batt, make sure that the ex-batt isn't away from the others for too long at a time. That way the ex-batt will keep her own position in the pecking order.

 

And don't forget PICTURES! She sounds beautiful.

[Lydia]

Hi there

 

I'd go for the slowly approach but play it by ear, she may surprise you. I've introduced 2 lone hens to a flock of 8 and 11 respectively and both have been done at the hen's pace.

 

When Annie came to us last year she was a healthy pepperpot who was around the same age as most of mine at the time. We kept her separate for a few days, then freeranged her with the others. There was the inevitable pecking and Annie came in at the bottom of the pecking order. She also had to be encouraged to peck around with the others at first, preferring to spend time roosting on our tree seat with us. In time though she got there. We used to offer treats to all of them too so she got used to feeding in the group.

 

We then divided our run for a week and then removed the partition and the eglu so she had to go in the cube. She never looked back. The whole process from eyeball to cube sleeping to about 3 weeks. Annie is now top chook.

 

Just last week we've also successfully introduced Lola. Lola is also a pepperpot, older than most of our ladies. She was keen to get in with the girls from the off and also fancied top position. She and Annie had a bit of kung fu action to sort it out and Lola realised that Annie was not going to be swayed so she's settled for No. 2 instead. The others have accepted this without question.

 

Yesterday Lola moved into the run and then slept in the cube last night with the others by her own choice. The whole process has taken just 6 days.

 

Good luck with your intros. And don't worry if there comes a time when you think they are never going to get on and keeping them separate forever is the way to go - that's normal, take a deep breath and eventually they will settle!

[the bradley bunch]

Just last week we've also successfully introduced Lola. Lola is also a pepperpot, older than most of our ladies. She was keen to get in with the girls from the off and also fancied top position. She and Annie had a bit of kung fu action to sort it out and Lola realised that Annie was not going to be swayed so she's settled for No. 2 instead.

 

lola sounds like a right little character...bet you'll have some fun with her!

thanks for all the advice & reassurance guys i feel much happier now & a whole lot confident with the situation i'll stick to the plan but at the same time play it by ear and follow the girls lead every step of the way...lydia i'll also not forget to look out for that all important kung-fu action!

 

i'm just trying to upload some pics so hopefully they will follow shortly...new chook is calling me because it's getting windy and she wants to go back in her nice warm & 'not scary' house/run in the garage, so i'll have to sort her out first Lol

[the bradley bunch]

 

sorry i couldn't get it any smaller! arrgghh photobucket!

 

anyway there she is...our little beauty any name or breed suggestions will be welcomed!

currently the name 'maleah' meaning unique little girl is my favourite i'd like the name to have some meaning behind it x

[the bradley bunch]

and another pic since her tail got cut off the last one!...

 

[alet_chicken]

She is absolutely adorable!

[meezers]

She's lovely , looks like a mix up with a silkie, auaracana, poland and something else - fancy no one wanting her, you could start a new breed, sure they would be in demand.

[Cheryl]

she looks a bit like a black Araucana mixed with a Silkie.. who cares shes gorgeous!

[CallyChook]

I'd definitely agree with meezers that there's some poland in there too, the stance of the tail, the low set wings, and that pompom hairdo... gorgeous!! I want one!!

[Mercedes55]

She is just gorgeous, looking at the pic she does remind me of my araucana. I don't have a clue what a poland looks like though

[WitchHazel]

She is gorgeous!

[Ange1]

Very very cute!

As for names I like your idea, but you could have Polish for black which is Czarny?!

[the bradley bunch]

ooo ange i do like the name Czarny - do you literally pronounce it 'K-Zarney'?

 

i'm so glad you all think she's as adorable as i do! she's started talking a little bit more now and she makes the cutest little chirping sound.

as for the breed, i could definately see the Poland in her; she has the beak & tail, and a miniature pom-pom hair do! i'd never heard of an Araucana before but i've just googled it and that's undoubtedly where she get's her beautiful feathers from ...so i think you've cracked it guys!

 

now i just need to find a cockeral silkie x poland x araucana and i can hatch you all one!

 

i can't wait to see what colour eggs she lays! the breeder said it should be around christmas time so how wonderful would it be to get the first one on xmas morning!

 

ps. did somebody resize my photos for me? and if so thank you very much & also could you let me know how you did it!

[Ange1]

I've just checked how you say Czarny, amazing what you can get from google!

 

http://www.forvo.com/word/czarny/

 

Copy & paste this link and you can hear a polish lady saying it (click on the small blue arrow on the left).

Sounds like she is saying it as 'Charnay'?

[the bradley bunch]

wow thanks angel i think i preferred my 'english' pronunciation tho!

 

i've just come across the name Kinuko meaning 'child of silk' which i think is very cute considering she came from a silkie egg

[Ange1]

Me too, i preferred your version of Czarny!

Kinuko is cute too!

[goodinparts]

SERIOUSLY cute....Can I join the queue for one just like her - and such a lovely story of her arrival in your lives. I hope you all enjoy one another's company ...and that the settling in process goes really smoothly.