Advice on introducing single hen please

[Sue]

My neighbours are going to give it a try introducing my wyandotte in with their hens. They have 2 hens (Jersey Giant crosses they think!) and a cock (not a very friendly one!!) They are kept in a static house and run.

Please could forum members give me their opinion on how best to do this as she will be an only hen being introduced. I am a little worried as she is only about half the size of their smallest hen and I would hate for her to get hurt! Should she be put into the house with them at night or would it be best to put her in a cage inside their run for half a day and then into the house at night? Or if neither of these ideas sound right to you, please let me know the best way to do this.

She is not an agressive hen, it's only my Sussex that she doesn't like, she gets on really well with all the other hens and often gets told off by the two hens above her if she gets in the way of their food etc.

My other option would be to build a smaller run outside the other run and get a couple of bantams perhaps to live with the her. Then I could keep her, but she wouldn't have as much space as the others.

I'm just worried that something will happen to her and it will be my fault. I expected to give her a home for life. She's happy where she is and settled well with the other 3, it's just that she can't live with the Sussex and I don't want to let the Sussex go as she is very tame.

Help!

 

[Anonymous]

my advice would be dont do it. if she is smaller and they are also in a run not loose outside she will get bullied. i would personally be expecting blood if i tried to do that. introducing new hens always needs carefull planning. i would never try and introduce a single hen to a couple of others that have been living together for a while.

 

[Sue]

I don't know what to do then! I have to do something as I can't go on with things as they are at the moment. If I buy two bantams and put them in a new run with my hen that's doing the bullying how would that work? They will have to have a smaller run than the others because I just don't have the room. Otherwise how can I rehome her as wherever she goes she will be the only new hen and there will be established hens already there. Please could someone give me advice asap as I had arranged for her to go on Sunday.

 

[bantiekeeper]

Agree with hgeorgina. Is the wyandotte a bantam?How about just getting one more bird to put with her and give them their own space?

 

[Sue]

She was supposed to be a large fowl, but didn't get to full size and is between a bantam and large fowl, but is definitely larger than a wyandotte bantam. I can't get anything too small in case she decided to bully that as well! If I did get one more bird, how much space would I have to give them. I used up all my available space for the main run and can't make that any smaller. The only place I could put them is outside the main run which would only be about 3' x 10' with the run on the end.

 

[Sue]

I meant to say with the 'house' on the end!

 

[Anonymous]

i would let her go with one of the others that she gets on with or pair her up with a new large fowl hen. they will need enough space though as its when they are confined that fights start. i would advertise her and another to go as a pair or get another run to keep them in yourself. introducing two new hens is better than one on its own. once a pair of hens have been living in a run together for a while they will not welcome anybody new easily. maybe you could do a swap with your neighbour?

 

[Anonymous]

I think it would be a good idea to buy another hen, larger than her. Put them in a small run temporarily and then try to introduce them to the main run. At least if this doesn't work you will have 2 to give away to the neighbours and 2 will integrate better than a single hen. There is no sure solution to this - would it be possible to give the Wyandotte back to the breeder you got her from? That would probably be the easiest and cheapest thing to do.

 

[Sue]

Funny you should say that 'clairethebear' but I wanted to do that after having her a week! We knew then that there was a problem as I had only had them one day and I had to separate the Sussex from the Wyandotte as she had drawn blood. He refused to take her back saying he runs 'a closed flock'!!!! He said he had had them together for a week before we had them to get them used to each other and there wasn't a problem then! Quite frankly I'm not impressed with his attitude at all. I paid £45 for this wyandotte (more than for any of the others) and he's not been any help other than saying that I have to give constant supervision and that is the only way it will work. I spent 3 weeks almost living in the henhouse to try to follow his advice, but I am now totally stressed out and quite frankly at my wits end with all this!

 

[Anonymous]

if you look on preloved theres always people after hens for free. also do you have a cockerel or would one be an option? he would be the policeman in the coop and should keep the peace. if my girls ever scrap the cockerel soon sorts them out!

 

[Chuck]

You can't rely on a male to sort the hens out, some do & some don't & then you could have yet another problem.

Let the hen go to the new home and see how it works. Surprisingly, some settle in quite easily but even in the easiest of introductions, there's a bit of scrapping. If it doesn't work, then go for plan B which is take her back and keep her in a small run on her own, trying every so often to introduce her to your hens. At least you'll have some measure of control if you let her go where you've arranged. Just noticed from your post that the new home has a male - well perhaps he'll sort things out there.

I've had utility chickens for 60 years and if you remember, it was me who told you that you had a problem which was beyond the normal settling in. So my advice is try this new home and have a fall back plan.

In desperation, if you could get her to Devon County Show, she could be brought back here. I've got 7.5 acres and around 200 chickens !

 

[Sue]

Chuck, I've replied to you in a PM, but I don't know whether I've done it correctly, you may not get it - let me know.

 

[Anonymous]

Sue, I hope you get this sorted out somehow. Its a shame that a hobby which is supposed to be pleasurable is causing so much stress. I am not impressed by the attitude of your supplier either and definitely would not deal with him again.

 

[Sue]

I have decided to divide an area of my main outside run and buy another bird or two bantams to go with the wyandotte. Have been out to buy the wood and now the divide just needs to be built. They will be able to see the other birds and although the rest of them will have a slightly smaller area for now, hopefully in time I will be able to integrate them all. I feel a little better about it now that I have made a decision and won't have to worry about the wyandotte having to leave. Hopefully my stress level will now be reduced!!!!! Thank you to everyone for their helpful advice.

 

[Chuck]

Sue, I hope you get this sorted out somehow. Its a shame that a hobby which is supposed to be pleasurable is causing so much stress. I am not impressed by the attitude of your supplier either and definitely would not deal with him again.

Or pay his prices !

Sue, no PM came but I've pm'd you

 

[Sue]

Chuck, I've tried to reply to your pm, but it's sitting in my outbox, not sure what I'm doing wrong!

 

[Chuck]

You've done it right !! I think it sits there till I pick it up.

 

[Anonymous]

I think thats a great compromise. In time I'm sure they will integrate together as my 2 Pekins eventually did over time.

 

[chrismahon]

Sorry to hear about your stress. If you had a cockerel in there he would sort it out, problems are noise, space, extra feed and damaged hens from being trodden. Need a small cockerel if anything but we found that sometimes the biggest hens won't accept his rule. Forget the cockerel as you will be adding to the stress.
The Wyandotte may get picked on with your neighbours but you might be surprised and it goes the other way. We have some vicious bantam Wyandottes that terrorise the Orpingtons. As they have a cockerel he should sort it out. But first she will need careful introduction or she could be killed as an intruder immediately. Lavender oil spray over all the birds and a night time introduction might work but I have never risked it, despite a friend assuring me it is a sound method. We always put a small 'broody' run in or alongside the main run and keep them together but separated for at least two weeks, sometime up to three with agressive hens, before any supervised introductions. This introduction process can be accelerated by a disorientation approach where the resident birds are removed to the 'broody' and returned singularly after a week, one every night. That's when we use the lavender spray. It is important that the birds have sight of each other and may fight initially through the wire but can't do serious damage.
Always give a thought to illness and immunisation when introducing new birds. Have your neighbours had IB or ILT. Has your Wyandotte had any live virus innoculations because they mutate on transfer to a far more serious version. Unlikely, but still important to consider. Extremely important if you mix commercial hybrids with pedigrees. We spent £250 on Synulox (Baytril had no effect) and 6 weeks getting IB and ILT under control after introducing two hybrid Copper Stars that had been given live viruses. Some of our birds still suffer flareups of ILT during stress two years on. Practical Poultry ran our letter about our experience at the time.