[SMS6]

Reading  SurreyLass’s  tale of how introducing her new chickens went a little wrong I thought I’d share my recent experience.

I only started keeping chickens early June this year and we began with 3 but decided 4 would have been nicer and also allowed for us to have sufficient eggs when one is off lay.   So we bought Roxy from the local Chicken Hotel we use for holidays.   I know introducing just one new chicken is frowned upon but we had our reasons.

Anyway – when we set up our chicken house we built a run but decided it looked too small for the times we are away from home at work, so we added a second run – leaving a gate between the two.   We brought Roxy home and placed her in the smaller run shutting the gate between.  They now had just a wire fence between them.   Our first idea was to get Roxy to go in to a cat box each night and then put that in to the garage for protection – letting her back in to the run each morning.   Then we decided it would be better to purchase a cheap, small animal shelter which we adapted by putting a door on for night time.

We left the chickens in this set up for a week, there was some initial pecking through the gate and a lot of puffed up chests but Roxy began to spend a lot of time right up against the fence and she wasn’t being continually pecked so that was a good sign.  During that first week whenever the original 3 were let out in to the garden we’d open the gate and let Roxy have access to the whole run.   

After a week we decided to open the middle gate and see what happened.   We gave all 4 a quick squirt with antipeck spray and  I was ready at the external gate to let the 3 out if it got too bad!   It did!   So we let the 3 out, built Roxy a temporary larger run so we could clean the houses out and move them (we do this fortnightly).   Then they went back in to their two halves.

Next day I had a day off work  so thought I’d give them another go, so I opened the middle gate once again I was ready to let the 3 out if there were problems.   Much calmer, Babs the boss did keep letting Roxy know her place and the day was very much 3 over here and 1 over there.    After an hour or so I let the 3 established ones in to the garden leaving Roxy in, returned the three later that afternoon and all was still calm.   That first night when I went to shut them in they were still 3 in the main house and Roxy in hers.   We left the gate between them open from then on and last night they all slept in the big house together.  One advantage I think is that Roy is a large chicken even though she’s so young. 

This weekend we’ll clip Roxy’s wing and let them all roam together.  I am waiting for it all to go wrong!!!

Roxy is coming up to 19 weeks old and there is a small chance she could be a he – no crowing as yet though but no eggs either.  It will be just my luck that after settling them all in Roxy will turn out to be a Cockerel and will have to go back in exchange for a hen.  Then I’ll have to start the process all over again. 

[GrannieAnnie]

We've mixed and matched chickens loads over the years and touch wood, we've not often had problems.  On the odd couple of occasions when we've worried about an odd chicken maybe having a problem, Joy has taken them and added them to her flock.  Because hers are totally free range, she's had even less problems than me! 

Hopefully yours will be fine!