New to the Flock

HouseOfWirshup · Jul 6, 2022

Ok friends, we need some help.

This is our first flock and we’ve had three girls since last summer who are just about a year old. Two Plymouth rocks and a buff. They are sweet and easy and generally friendly.

We decided to introduce two new girls to the flock a few weeks ago. They are almost the same size, younger about 5 months, and production reds. The two new girls are equally sweet although understandable shy.

We quarantined the new girls, then did a run next to our regular run so they could all see but not touch, then finally moved them into the enclosed run where the coop is in a crate for the night. We’ve been letting them all free range together and they mostly ignore but in the run there is one older girl who’s been not as welcoming as the others. Nothing too bad, no blood and nothing longer than a few seconds but the new girls are scared in there.

My question is this... do we keep putting the new girls in the crate in the run until all the pecking stops or do we just put them all together and let them hopefully go to roost in the coop together tonight?

If it makes any difference, the buff is completely indifferent to the new girls, or speckled rock is broody so she couldn’t care less about them and it’s just the barred rock who’s being a nudge?

Thoughts????? Thanks in advance!

Mrs. K · Jul 6, 2022

No blood, just let them figure it out. If you interfere too much, you just prolong this. If it does get too rough, put the barred rock in the crate. That will let the younger birds roost.

But really if the younger birds are on the floor of the coop, it is not a big deal. I assume they are going to start laying soon and when they do, they will move up.

Mrs K

Ridgerunner · Jul 7, 2022

I agree with Mrs. K. As much as you can, let them figure it out. As long as there are no injuries I would not worry. It's called the pecking order for a reason, they often peck while sorting out the order.

Are your 5 month old production reds laying yet? If they are not they should be close. When they start to lay often changes how they are perceived by the adult hens. And they need a nest to lay in. In either case I'd want them sharing the run that has access to the nests during laying hours so the older girls can show them where to lay.

It sounds like they are currently sleeping in that crate in that adjacent run. Is there a connection from the old run to the new run so they can pass back and forth on their own? Do I have that wrong? To me that would be ideal. Let them decide where they want to sleep while getting used to each during the day. They may want to move into the main coop on their own or they may want to keep sleeping where they are.

I'd want them to show that they can get along in the run before I forced them to sleep in the main coop. It doesn't sound like you are quite there yet though you may be getting close. I don't know how big your coop is or how it is laid out. With your small number of birds it may not be all that big. If they don't move in to sleep in the main coop on their own and you are OK with how they behave in the run together, I'd wait until dark and lock the young ones in the main coop with the others. If it is really dark they can't see to hurt each other until daylight. I'd be down there at daylight to see how it is going until I'm comfortable there aren't any problems. With mine that's usually one or two mornings but I don't know what your coop looks like.

When I put them in at night I do not put them on the roosts, I put them on the coop floor. They may or may not sleep on the roosts to start with, usually mine don't. As Mrs. K said, that's not a big deal. As long as they are somewhere predator safe and are not in my nests I don't care where they sleep. They will move to the main roosts when they are ready.

Good luck with it. Sometimes this is all so easy you wonder why all the fuss about how to do it. Sometimes the extra effort pays off.

HouseOfWirshup · Jul 7, 2022

Ridgerunner said:
I agree with Mrs. K. As much as you can, let them figure it out. As long as there are no injuries I would not worry. It's called the pecking order for a reason, they often peck while sorting out the order.

Are your 5 month old production reds laying yet? If they are not they should be close. When they start to lay often changes how they are perceived by the adult hens. And they need a nest to lay in. In either case I'd want them sharing the run that has access to the nests during laying hours so the older girls can show them where to lay.

It sounds like they are currently sleeping in that crate in that adjacent run. Is there a connection from the old run to the new run so they can pass back and forth on their own? Do I have that wrong? To me that would be ideal. Let them decide where they want to sleep while getting used to each during the day. They may want to move into the main coop on their own or they may want to keep sleeping where they are.

I'd want them to show that they can get along in the run before I forced them to sleep in the main coop. It doesn't sound like you are quite there yet though you may be getting close. I don't know how big your coop is or how it is laid out. With your small number of birds it may not be all that big. If they don't move in to sleep in the main coop on their own and you are OK with how they behave in the run together, I'd wait until dark and lock the young ones in the main coop with the others. If it is really dark they can't see to hurt each other until daylight. I'd be down there at daylight to see how it is going until I'm comfortable there aren't any problems. With mine that's usually one or two mornings but I don't know what your coop looks like.

When I put them in at night I do not put them on the roosts, I put them on the coop floor. They may or may not sleep on the roosts to start with, usually mine don't. As Mrs. K said, that's not a big deal. As long as they are somewhere predator safe and are not in my nests I don't care where they sleep. They will move to the main roosts when they are ready.

Good luck with it. Sometimes this is all so easy you wonder why all the fuss about how to do it. Sometimes the extra effort pays off.

Thanks so much!

No blood and not laying yet. The two runs aren’t connecting. Our main coop is in our run which is predator safe so we were putting the crate in the run with a bar for roosting at night. They all went into the coop last night, the younger two slept on the lower roost, and came out this morning— even Miss Broody! It’s raining her today, but everyone is hanging out for the most part- the young girls are on top of the coop and the old girls are doing their thing. Fingers crossed

Thanks so much for all the insight!

Ridgerunner · Jul 7, 2022

Sounds like you have it made. Sometimes it is that easy. :thumbsup

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