Topic: Introducing cockeral and hen to established flock

[OliveOil]

Hi

Just wanted to know your views on this scenario.

5 hens with large house - big enough for 12 birds, with large run and free range of the garden.

a pair of Orpingtons (bantam thingy and hen).

How to introduce?

Put them in at night .... OR

Put the hen in at night with other hens, separate the cockeral and let him hve the other side of the run for a few days so he can see the hens and then put him one night.

OR

Put both the hen and cockeral the other side of the run for a few days and then put them in one night.

Or none of the above - better suggestions???

[teresa]

Hi,
I had 3 half grow pullets hand reared and needed to put 2 silky pullets and two co*ckrell together who were 2 months older.
The 3 pullets were in my greenhouse so I put the two co*krell in first and then 15-20mins later put the two pullets in.
The co*krells had no problem with the 3 pullets and when I put their sisters in they protected them from the 3 younger pullets.
This I did before I feed them in the morning thinking if I feed them it would take their mind off what had happened it worked for me.
Ok I had 2 feeding bowls and 2 drinking bowls so no fighting over and I would go in twice a day hand feed them cabbage etc so all got together around me and throw corn in so they all had a good scrat around.
About a week it took to have one feed bowl and one drinking bowl.
The co*krells did have a calming effect on the 3 pullets.
I have heard of letting them see each other first for a few days or letting the all run in the garden together and see what happens.
Just watch out for the top hen the one at the top of the pecking order the co*ckrell is no threat only the hen.
I hear a childs water pistol is a good thing to have you let the bully have it with water?
But I think about 3 days its all sorted out pecking order.

[OliveOil]

Thats my fear - the top hen is a huge Orp - the new ones coming are bantams.  Then there are 2 other hens that fight with each other.

A new hen was introduced and it took 3 full days of fighting for her to be accepted. I dont want Mr C to have to endure that.

I'm more worried about the cockeral and his hen than the other 5.

Oooo its a hard one.  I think i might just put him and his hen the other side of the fence for a few days and take it from there.

Thanks teresa.

xx

[teresa]

Oh  a case of little and large.
 tough one for you, yes let them see each other and take it from there.
I have 4, 2 day old chicks and 3, chicks hatched today so tomorrow they have to join the others.
That should be fun but should be easier than interducing  grown ups ha ha.

[OliveOil]

Oooh Teresa

What type of chicks do you have?

I set my incubator 31st May, bantam Barred plymouth rocks, red pekins, black pekins... and hoping to get some mini silkie, bantam araucana, lemon pekins and then whatever else is at the market to fill the incubator up.

[teresa]

In incubator just hatched yesterday 3 black bearded silkies( out of 10 eggs )should be and in propergator 4 of my own eggs. I have 2 older hens one white one constant layer even through winter got a egg every other day so put one of the silky X co*krells in with them. So these are the results.
I did an experment with needle and cotten sexing ? did hens pullets co*krells and chicks also eggs.
The older hens one is white ( good layer) one is black not bad layer.
white hen showed female eggs black showed male as for the silkies black eggs non of the female eggs hatched males did but should see in a couple of months if the needle and cotten works ha ha.
how big is your incubator mine isa small one 12 eggs but have got 18 in if they are small. I love the candler you can weed out the dud ones.

[OliveOil]

Hi teresa

I have an old ecostat that i got of ebay for £26 - bargain! New thermometer arrived to day so im about to switch it on and make sure its running ok.

Only thing is, i thought it was a 25 egger but its actually a 60 egger - plus i am hatching bantams so i think it holds about 85 bantam eggs.

Am aiming to have about 50 -60 eggs in there and then hoping for a 50% hatch rate at best  LOL.

Chicks will go in our large cellar in a pen im going to make next week with a heat lamp - they should be ok there for a good 3-4 weeks, after that i dont know. Once they are off heat i aim to run them on the allotment until we decide what to do with them.  maybe take what we dont want to market, i know my mum wants some pekins, my son wants to breed silkies and my daughter wants to keep them all.  As long as i can keep some on the allotment we will be ok, or else they will be off back to the market.

Whats this needle and thread trick??? never ever heard of it - do tell ;)

I dont have a candler but my chicken buddy up the road does so he can come down and candle my eggs - hes such a star!

[teresa]

Ok have a go, get a sewing needle and about a foot of thread,
as you would for sewing a button on.
wrap the end of thread round your finger and hold it over eggs chicks hens.#
if it swings in a circle movement its a girl and if it swing straight accross its a boy.
have a go most of mine are doing well with it ha ha
idea wonderfull to sex the eggs before setting them so all females ha ha.
let us know how you get on.

[OliveOil]

brilliant i'll have a go

Might get some markers too to mark the eggs i think are male/female and then mark those chicks when they hatch and see what happens a few weeks later ;-)

[teresa]

85 eggs great incubator for the price hope all goes well,
does it have a turning cradle auto mine is forced air and turning by hand its so easy to forget if you had turned trying to do 3 times a day so I now make a chart which I tick when done it. Senior moments ha ha.
I use a pencil to mark on the eggs X and O then M or F and last time I had two eggs with a BIG F for fresh from the nest box straight in the incubator no standing for 24 hours.
If the needle does not move on a egg for me I know its not fertile tried my pullets I know the co*ckrel in with them is not doing anything he looks like a partridge silki fluff and all but think hes a poof. ha ha

[OliveOil]

LOL at your poofy cockeral ;-)

Mines still air and manual turn - thats alot of hand turning ;P

Collecting the cockeral an hen tomorrow to take to my mums, should be interesting.

Desperately trying to get rabbit hutch to keep them in until they can go in with the big hens next weekend.  But its not looking good so either my poor guinea pigs are going to be homeless or the bantam orps are just gonna have to tough it out with the big girls .

[teresa]

Hi,
yep a lot of hand turning,
have you tried your local council tip, my fav place for bits, you may find a hutch or wooden play pen to convert something their to use. I got a huge parrot square cage for a £5 cleaned it out with milton ( tesco's) one. got my big babies 7 weeks olds in that all 4 of them.

[OliveOil]

Got a hutch from freecyclers!!! Going to pick the birds up later this morning, then on to mums, then off to buy a hat and shoes for the races!

[teresa]

Hi OO
What is freecyclers havent heard of that one, thats great news.
Whats this hat and shoes for racing chickens ha ha.

[OliveOil]

www.freecyclers.org.uk  if they dont have one in your area, they will set one up.  Its to reduce landfill waste so rather than take stuff to the tip you put it on freecyclers, someone who wants it picks it up. 

Going to the York races next friday so need the finishing touches hehe. Poor OH's bank balance is going down rapidly LOL