Introducing ex batts to one chicken but strange circumstances!!!!

[Shazwig]

Hello
New to the forum! Can anyone help me with advice on a strange situation I find myself in...

We did have 2 chickens. In the high winds our coop got blowed over and we lost one to a fox and the other we thought we'd lost but there was no body ..that was 3 weeks ago...thinking shed be eaten too...so we bought 4 ex batts today in v good condition and got them home...low and behold after 3 weeks of the fox attack...the other chicken who we thought had been eaten had infact run away and come home.

So we now have 4 ex batts and our old bantam back home! We were only planning on having 4!!! But hey ho. Am really hoping five of them can fit into a hen house designed for 4!!!

So how do we introduce 4 ex batts to our bantam who's been on the run for 3 weeks!

Tonight We've put the ex batts into the normal run. We've left the bantam tonight in the shed with food and water. Tomorrow morning I'll have to introduce them.

I can keep bantam in the garden in the larger run and leave the ex batts in the enclosed run so they can see each other for 2 weeks then let them figure it out. Only prob is at night I'll have to put the bantam back in the shed at night time! Not sure if she'd ok for her?!

Or should I just let them all get together and see how they go? Worried the ex batts could be poorly (although they are stunning and in good condition) or that the bantam having only just made it back to her home is going to get well annoyed she's lost her home!

Help!

Any ideas appreciated.

Sharon x

[RedThorn]

I would introduce them all together straight away, your bantam is still in an unsure position with regards pecking order only having just returned and the ex-batts are in a new environment so also unsettled, I actually think it's a boon that you have this strange situation and should help you settle them all in together quicker than normal.

Welcome to the madhouse Please could you put your location in so people can see where you're located, it helps with more weather related questions later As you can see, I'm all the way down under but only recently re-located here from the UK

[petal]

yes, absolutely, its all new to the ex batts too- they ought to get along well enough and as a bonus the bantam can teach them how to behave like a chicken!

[RichmondHens]

It's much easier to introduce new birds to each other at night. By morning they have got used to each others noises and smells. As the others have said, as they are all new together I think you might as well put them all together straightaway. There will probably be an argument or too but they will settle down in a few days.

[Suechooks]

To answer one of your worries, it's unlikely that the ex-batts will be "poorly" in the context of having some sort of infectious disease. They are vaccinated up to the hilt and despite the horrible conditions they've been kept in are unlikely to introduce infection. However they are sometimes so stressed by the release that they do become withdrawn. if your bantam has survived outside for 3 weeks she's a tough cookie so as everyone has said just put them in together. Remember the ex-batts are strangers to each other too as its unlikely you've got 4 from same original cage so you can let them sort out their pecking order in one go.
Good luck!

[Shazwig]

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who replied really appreciate it and we're going to put them all together as it gets dark later on. Thanks to all!

Sharon

[polo]

Good luck with that but I reckon it could work out well as everyone else has said!

[Shazwig]

One more question what should I do on food? Shall I take away the bantams pellets and put them all on crumb?

[RichmondHens]

Put a mixture of both types of food in the feeder, then they can take what they know and recognise. The batties will probably go for the crumb/mash and the bantam the pellet. Once you see the batties eating the pellet too then you can change over entirely to pellet.

[Shazwig]

Thanks! All done! They seem to be eating pellets and are all getting on ok. Bantam is pecking a little but settling down. Phew. Thanks for fab sdvice.

[Hilary B]

When you have one 'bossy' hen and several more subdued ones, it tends to work out MUCH better than the other way around. She can't bully all of them at once, so they settle down fairly soon.