Introducing a New Chicken into your Existing Flock

[{"selector":"#anim-aaf0a1e5-c754-468b-b386-8b88acefd1de","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-47f4e2b6-225d-4b48-b3d5-19ed80efb462","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] After a lot of research I found out that you really need to let the chickens get to know each other safely with a barrier so they don’t hurt each other. Make it now

Have a small cage that your new chicken or chickens can be in with fresh food & water. This keeps them safe and lets the other chickens get to know them.

Have the new chickens wake up with the old chickens – still using the cage for the first little while.

When you do let the new chicken out of the cage stay close and pretend to be mother hen if needed by shooing away any pecking chickens if you can.

It can take quite a long time – up to 3 weeks for new chickens to get to like each other. Be patient.

There will be pecking orders established so some pecking is okay. Just watch to make sure they aren’t fighting for more than 20-30 seconds, drawing blood.

So that’s it! Have any of you introduced a new set of chicks or old hens into your existing flock? Any other great tips to share?

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