New Chick on the Block!"

[Hinksy]

Currently have 5 Chickens/Hens all living happily together, have had them now for about 2months they all started laying about 3weeks after we got them so we know they are happy and they get to come out and run round the garden as a fair amount of the time.

Now we have decided to get them Bantams in July, they will have their own seperate house so not much problem there.

Question is: I really want to buy another Hen Mendlesham Amber... Is it too late to get her and introduce her to the rest of the hens now? or will they pick on her?

Thanks

[sheena]

The problem I think you will have is that they have been together long enough already, the pecking order is established. Adding any new bird now is gonna get pecked down the order.
Never introduce a single bird,always introduce 2 or more birds to the flock, as one is a too good a number to get singled out.

I got 2 new one's a month ago, and then added 6 just last week.
The 2 have been established with the flock, and the 6 from last week are suffering a pecking from all 5 established flock.

[Birdie Wife]

it depends a little on the temperament of your existing hens. If they are also Ambers then you should be able to inroduce another. If you had Rhode Island Reds or Black Rocks and wanted to introduce an Amber, it would be a different matter, as those breeds are generally much more feisty than a placid Amber. I would also tend towards introducing two instead of one (as long as the two had grown up together) but if you need to just get one more, then as long as they all have enough room to escape, and you keep a close eye on the situation in case of trouble, then you should be able to get away with it.

I love bantams ... what breed are you getting?

[Hinksy]

Well we have a very large Chicken coop with built on and extended run giving the Chickens enough room to swing a cat (so to speak) and the 5 we have in the house at the moment seem dwarfed by the size and all huddle together in one nest box leaving plenty of room for more... Wish I had got more at the time of first getting them (a lesson for anyone else buying Chickens, get them all together.

Not sure what breed of bantams we are getting just yet, I like the Peking and the Tortoise shell type colours but not sure, any recommendations?

[Birdie Wife]

Horses for courses really, Pekins are lovely tame birds but I don't get on with the feathered legs. All mine are free range and the leg feathers get bedraggled really quickly! I got some bantam Australorps in the spring, they are my current favourites also got bantam Wyandottes (one is partridge coloured, which is probably te tortoise shell colour you're thinking of). Both are very productive, hardy breeds. Pekins go broody at the drop of a hat, so great if you're wanting to hatch chicks, but if you want them to be laying eggs for you, not so great! Everyone has their own favourites though