[thechicken]

Following the death of one of our 2 chickens we have 2 more arriving today.

Would appreciate any ideas on the best way to integrate. We only have one coop and the chicken has the full run of the garden.

Thanks

[Oakdalebirds1]

Hi , As you only have one coop i would wait till its dark and then put the two new hens in the coop .
Im sure one of the more experienced keepers will advice though .
good luck 

[andy46]

My friend is a farmer and i asked him the same question when i got my 2 new girls and he told me to put them all together,there would be a bit falling out but it would pass after a couple of days.I did and there was a bit of pecking but nothing to bad and after a couple of days everybody where friends perfect,

[ANHBUC]

As others have said, putting them in the coop after dark is a good idea.  Let them out early and make sure they have more than one feeder and drinker.  If they have the run of the garden there shouldn't be a problem of any being cornered.  Only intervene if blood is drawn or they are not able to feed and drink.  Cuts can be treated with wound powder or as an emergency use cornflour.  Purple spray can also be used but if the cuts are on the head use a cotton bud/cotton wool ball to apply so as so avoid the eyes.  If you distract them with a few treats scattered around it should help.  Hopefully they will soon be friends but remember it is normal for them to have a pecking order.

[thechicken]

Many thanks for all your help.

Very traumatic day with the new arrivals fighting amongst thmeselves drawing blood etc - this was before we introduced ours. So after building a new temporary coop and run for them and no improvement we decided to cut our losses and took them back. One of them had scaly leg to die for - prior to taking her back we treated her but doubt if it would have any affect.

When we took them back we were told that one of them had attacked the cock and he had to remove him so what chance did we have! He insisted we took another as it was not fair to have one on her own - she has no leg problems and looked a lot more placid and low and behold she settled in like a dream and they were friends in minutes. We did spray her legs as a prevention though.

Last night we had to put her in the coop as she had roosted on top - no worries she jumped straight up on to the perch next to the other - lets see what happens later!!   

[ANHBUC]

That is really naughty of the breeder.  Well done in recognising the problems, treating her and taking her back.  I think if I had scaly leg mites I would be really aggressive too, it must drive her nuts.   

Good luck with your new girls.