When adding pullets (or grown hens) to an existing flock, care must be given.
Have you heard the term pecking order? The term, even used with humans, derives from hens. Chickens physically peck at other chickens, showing dominance and ranking order. Even a mild-tempered chicken can peck at a new one coming into her territory. It’s all a natural order. When I say the term is also used with humans, think about middle school – a teen (or set of teens) showing their dominance to others by being mean, not allowing them to hang out with them, not wanting outsiders to sit at their lunch table, etc. Pecking order!
A flock of existing chickens are accustomed to their surroundings and have established ‘friends’ to hang out with. They also have a leader in place. Adding newbies can offset the balance in place.
This was our first experience with adding new chickens to an existing flock, so I thought I would share with you how we did it and how it is working out.
We purchased some starter pullets (16 – 20 weeks old) to add to our existing flock, which were approximately 24 weeks old. Great timing for us when the hatchery sold the starter pullets, making them only a month or so younger than our existing flock.
We hauled the hens (Barred Rock and Rhode Island Reds raised together) home in a dog crate with the plastic floor in place. Once home, we placed the chickens still inside the crate (but without the plastic floor) into the chicken yard. By removing the plastic floor, the chickens were able to peck around on the ground, and get a feel for their new home. We gave them food and water inside the crate.
Putting the chickens in the yard (yet protected inside the crate) allowed the existing flock to inspect the new flock and visa versa. They existing flock circled the crate, cackling at the new girls. (Wouldn’t it be nice to understand chicken talk?) A couple of times I saw one of the hens peck at one of the new girls inside the crate. Pecking order had begun.
Because the dog crate would not fit inside the chicken coop, I placed the crate full of new chickens inside the shed at night to protect them from predators.
The next morning, I put the crate full of chickens in the chicken yard again. I fed them all at the same time, but separately. Food and water containers inside the crate, the others in their normal places in the chicken yard. Over the next couple days everyone continued to check each other out, but the newbies stayed protected within their crate. The newness was wearing off little by little.
One night after the older girls were inside the coop and high on their roost and very sleepy, I picked each new girl up from the crate and placed them inside the chicken coop. They all huddled together in a nesting box, instead of roosting on the top or lower roost area.
The next morning I let everyone out and observed them closely for a while. Without the protection of the crate, pecking order had to be done. I didn’t interfere unless I deemed necessary. I allowed pecking to be done, but not fly on top, hold them down, pecking hard…that’s when I interfered. Usually making noise worked, never did I have to physically get involved.
A few weeks later, the older girls still hang out together and the new flock stick together, only mingling outside their comfort zones once in a while. There is not a lot of meanness going on, just ‘clicks’ I suppose you could say with an occasional squawk or peck. Again, think middle school – everyone doesn’t sit at the same lunch table.
Because every group needs a leader, the White Rock remains queen…of all the chickens. If you doubt it, she will let you know!
8 Comments
Good method only after quarantining them for a couple of weeks away from your flock. A new batch can bring in germs or parasites that your flock isn’t immune to thus killing them all.
It’s a good method. I have a larger starter cage, and put it next to my large coop. In my case the new chicks were about 20 weeks. I had another pair at 24 weeks that I had started earlier, and four much older hens. The new chicks were rescues from an aggressive flock, and one of the new chickens had a hurt legand couldn’t walk, so I splint it and let them stay separate for a couple of weeks until she was healed. Then, every day I opened their cage and the large coop and little by little they got used to the flock, with the usual pecking and running. I put them in to sleep with the flock once. After a few weeks they just moved into the coop, then into the hen house on their own. It was the fastest by far that new chicks became part of the flock. Usually it takes months for them all to flock together.
Thank you for the article as I am about to bring new chickens into my flock . This is very helpful .
Just yesterday I introduced 5 new adult hens into our flock of 3. The woman who gave them to me said to pick them up after they had gone to roost, then set them on their new roost to wake up in the morning in their new home with their new “friends”. I didn’t see the transition, but by the time I looked out in the yard, they seem to have adapted to their surroundings, pecking happily in their little groups. Fortunately we have a large yard with many secluded areas to gather. At one point there was a conflict from one of our older dominant hens–she actually seemed to be stalking one of the new girls before attacking her–but we interrupted her aggression and everything looked okay. Today is only day 2, but I don’t expect any big battles. Transferring them at night (as adults in a small group) worked well for us.
I think it’s good to buy all chicken as a set in the same time, and to bring all together to the new coop, i think in this way they will accept each other,
Another idea i did with my chickens, that I trying not to bring new chicken, only to raise new from laying eggs, to produce new chicken from eggs, not buy new one,
Thanks for good article
Good suggestion. Unfortunately we had some chickens die…that is why we added to our flock.
We have 4 new (hatched end of May) chickens with one hen left from our original four. She is now 4-years-old. We have following all of the advise about merging, and the 5 have been all together now for about 3 month. EXCEPT they still sleep separately. I’m concerned about this with the cold weather coming on, since our original hen sleeps all alone. I think she would be much warmer if the 4 were together. What do you think would happen if I blocked access to the sleeping area the 4 new girls have been using?
Hi Barbara,
We are in a similar situation, except we are only one month into it. I am a believer in letting nature take its course…hoping they will sleep side to side. Do your chickens get along during the day? You could try blocking off the section like you mentioned or try moving them at night when they are groggy to a place where you want them to sleep. If that doesn’t work, the chicken should be able to keep itself naturally warm or know enough to join the others.
Hope this helps!
~Lori