Bringing a New Friend into the Coop

Adding a new chicken into the flock can be one of the most exciting yet daunting times. This process can be made simple with a few key steps.

1. Know your pecking order

Like all animals, chickens have a pecking order. There will always be a boss and there will always be the underdog. Adding a new friend into the mix can upset the whole flock, as a new pecking order will have to be sorted. For this reason, I recommend bringing more than one chook home (within reason haha) so they have at least got a friend and won’t be picked on as much by your existing flock. Where possible, try adding birds of a similar age and size to reduce bullying.

 

 

2. Give places to hide

I always make sure that when adding a new bird into the flock that they have a way to get away from the bully in the group. The easiest way is to make sure that the chooks have a high perch so that they can fly up. Try and limit the number of objects that they can wedge themselves behind (including nesting boxes), as often this will trap birds and make it easier for them to get picked on. Try and give them as much space as possible. Sometimes it is best to introduce them in a bigger run rather in a smaller coop. Another option (if you have space) is to put two pens side by side so that they can meet each other through the fence.

 

3. It’s like ripping off a band aid

Sometimes, adding a new bird is like ripping off a band aid; its never pretty and the slower you go, the more it hurts. The worst thing you can do is keep ‘rescuing’ the bird at the bottom of the pecking order. This means it takes even longer for them to work it out. Providing the chook can get away, let them sort out their issues and they will move on harmoniously. If you feel that they are getting bullied too much (and you have followed the first steps), by all means, take the bully out and let the other chooks get to know them.

 

4. Everyone’s LEAST favourite ‘Q’ word…

It is important that when introducing a new bird into your flock that you have some sort of quarantine plan. This may be a separate pen on the opposite side of the house or in a shed so that you can ensure that they are in perfect health before introducing your new friends into your existing flock. Usually, 2-3 weeks is a good amount of time to wait. There is nothing worse than bringing in a disease as they can be very hard (and expensive at times) to treat. While in quarantine, you can familiarise your chook with you, show them plenty of love, and make sure they are clean from any creepy crawlies.