Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: desandchez on December 07, 2008, 19:21
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JUST SEEN THE POST FOR HOMING SOME UNWANTED HENS I HAVE THE ROOM BUT WOULD THE RESCUED HENS BE OK WITH MY GIRLS? WE HAVE 11 GIRLS WHO ARE ABOUT SIX MONTH OLD COULD I JUST PUT THESE IN WITH MY GIRLS OR WOULD THERE BE WAR
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You'd need to introduce them carefully as you would for any new hens. They'd be fine once they's sorted out the pexcking order.
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WHAT SORT OF TIME PERIOD
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Turn your Caps lock off sweetie :D
There are loads of hen keepers on here who are better qualified that me about introduciing new hens. I'm sure they'll be along later to advise you :!:
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Hi
Not sure if you are referring my earlier post. Just to clarify - although they are ex rescue hens - the ones i'm trying to rehome were 'rescued' 5 months ago and have been use to roaming around in a larger flock.....
I'm afraid the fox has already got to their friends.....
Kym
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JUST SEEN THE POST FOR HOMING SOME UNWANTED HENS I HAVE THE ROOM BUT WOULD THE RESCUED HENS BE OK WITH MY GIRLS? WE HAVE 11 GIRLS WHO ARE ABOUT SIX MONTH OLD COULD I JUST PUT THESE IN WITH MY GIRLS OR WOULD THERE BE WAR
Hi, it's my experience that it can take a long time for the new girls to properly integrate into the existing flock, six months is not uncommon, in this time you tend to see them keeping in separate flocks and slowly get more accustomed to each other before finally merging. There will of course be dust ups when they meet but generally it's not too bad and you let them get on with it, unless they draw blood.
A few things to consider:
How fit are the rescue hens? If they are at all weak or unwell then keep them separate until they are fitter.
It's better to introduce 3 or more at once, this way one bird is not picked on un-duly.
Plenty of space is good as they'll keep out of each others way.
I read one way of overcoming the problem of introducing the new birds it to put ALL the birds into a new coop / run (fine if you have another area for this) this really throws the pecking order out of the window, combined with the new coop it breaks the territory up and helps them to quickly form one flock, I don't have enough space to try this but it sounds good!