Introducing young birds to existing flock

[elizajay]

I have got 2 new pullets, a copper black Maran and a Welsummer. They are 3 months old and still with very young looking combs. My current 2 Maran hybrids seem very disinterested in the youngsters. The Speckledy is fiercely broody, housed in a dog cage during the day but eating little and this has gone on for months now.
So far I have kept the newbies in the coop and run. How long should I keep them separate?

[Scarlet]

If they've been next to each other, you could try to introduce them at night and see what happens in the morning. If you've only got the one non broody out and about she may well be fine- be prepared for a little bossing around. That is normal. Although ideally I wait until 18weeks. They need to be on a growers feed and your layers need to be eating layers.

[muddled]

Yep, I agree with Scarlet (as I always seem to do) that although your pullets are a little young, having the fierce mama out of the way is too good an opportunity to miss!
Choose a couple of days when you can be around most of the time and give it a go.
It might be that your other chicken is grateful for the company.

I would also say, while I think of it, that you need to break that broody cycle.
She will be losing condition and be prone to parasites after sitting so long!
You say she's in a dog crate....does it have a solid floor? She needs a draught round her frilly knickers and if you cannot arrange a wire floor...you're going to have to dunk her in water to get her lower feathers wet and cool her down that way.
Also, up the protein in her diet...mealworms or well rinsed tinned tuna. If she's only eating a little...what she does eat needs to be good!

Sorry, bit of a lecture.
Just been through the same thing myself, Millie was broody for six weeks and was becoming skeletal!

[Scarlet]

On the broody theme, I agree with Muddled ! I had a maran several years ago that refused to do anything but sit. I did everything I could and gave up and left her come late Sept she decided to moult- completely! It turned really cold before she hot her feather back so that I had to put her under a lamp. Unfortunately she didn't make it. Lesson learned now I stick them in a wire bottom crate, lifted off the floor with bricks and wedge a perch across. She will perch and this will give good air flow .

[elizajay]

Re the broody
Yes the dog crate is wire bottomed and lifted off the ground for air circulation. The wire is widely spaced so for comfort I have added an old guinea pig cage door with narrowly spaced wire as she was clearly uncomfortable standing on the widely spaced wire.
I have had loads of broody bantams in the past but this hen is worrying. She will run past the food when I throw her out in the morning without stopping for a peck. I have to put her in with the other hen at night because a fox could toss the dog pen about even if it couldn't break in. So every night any good the day in the pen has done is presumably undone.
Thanks for the tip about meal worms, I will give that a go. Hormones are a terrible thing, I do feel sorry for her and am concerned that she is becoming anaemic, her comb is pale and floppy.

[elizajay]

Re the pullets
Thanks for the tips. Last night the new expanded run was made available for the pullets and the single free ranging hen ran up and down the wire taking an interest in the youngsters. Your suggestions have made me think. I lift the food at night, so I could put them all in together at night, remove the older hens in the day and put their food outside and the pullets' food down once the big ones are out.
From memory adult hens love growers pellets. Is there any harm giving the broody growers pellets to build her up?

[elizajay]

Broody is laying again!! But little dinky eggs and she is showing signs of moulting.

The oldies are sleeping with the babies, but the babies are sleeping in the next boxes behind a modesty curtain. The big ones are out pacing in the run in the mornings while the little ones hide in the coop. When I let the big ones out for the day the little ones come out happily. I let the little ones out to free range in the afternoons and apart from a bit of chasing there is no serious aggression.

So the next thing to cope with is the nest box sleeping......

[Nicos]

Good news!
It's always a worry isn't it?

My Marans are the most laid back of all our chooks!

[Floyd]

Very informative posts from Muddled and Scarlet. Found our light Sussex dead in the run the other morning and since there was no sign of disease or fowl play(pun intended), I just put it down to her age as she was at least 4. Thinking about it now though, she was always an extremely broody hen going through the broody stage, two weeks of laying, then broody again and has spent most of this year in that cycle. So it's possible all that has just taken too much out of the old girl.
You learn something new every day. Thanks Muddled and Scarlet.

[Scarlet]

From memory adult hens love growers pellets. Is there any harm giving the broody growers pellets to build her up?

There is little difference in protein % in layers/growers pellets, (posibly 1 or 2) so no harm if it's not a medicated feed, though IMO there's little benefit, especially if you want her to lay. The harm is in the young birds eating layers pellets. The layers pellets have added calcium and minerals in to help with egg laying. The higher levels of calcium can cause kidney damage in young birds. Best to keep them on growers until they lay their first egg or thereabouts.

[Scarlet]

an extremely broody hen going through the broody stage, two weeks of laying, then broody again and has spent most of this year in that cycle. So it's possible all that has just taken too much out of the old girl.

Mine was exactly like that!
When I first started to keep hens I thought people were being cruel cageing them and kicking them off the nest etc. But it's not healthy sitting for weeks on end, hardly eating and being a target for red mite. We often learn from our mistakes.

[elizajay]

There is little difference in protein % in layers/growers pellets, (posibly 1 or 2) so no harm if it's not a medicated feed, though IMO there's little benefit, especially if you want her to lay. The harm is in the young birds eating layers pellets. The layers pellets have added calcium and minerals in to help with egg laying. The higher levels of calcium can cause kidney damage in young birds. Best to keep them on growers until they lay their first egg or thereabouts.

That is very helpful, I didn't realise that and am glad they are still on layers.