# Old and new chickens meeting



## soosywoosy (Oct 15, 2021)

Hi! I've had four Lohmann Browns for two years, they have a garden shed with a window in it as their base and they can free range around the once garden, now desolate back yard...
Today, I was given three youngish chickens, two of one type and one pale orangey one. How can I introduce them and how long will it take for them to get used to each other? I put the new ones in the back room that doesn't have much in it right now, to settle a bit then left the back door open so they could see each other. Then I left the door wide open and the old chickens are making noise and the new ones were in a corner of the room. Right now, two old ones are shut in the back room with the new ones. Any advice appreciated.


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## imnukensc (Dec 5, 2020)

Put them all out in the yard to free range. Let them sort it out. As long as there is no great blood loss things will work out.


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## soosywoosy (Oct 15, 2021)

They new young ones look like they could be Orpingtons, two black (one larger than the other) and a buff. I'm a bit concerned about the buff, I've read they are a meek type of chicken. Would it be dangerous in anyway if I separated her and made her more of a pet?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Chickens are very dependent on being with their own kind. Separating her from the other two would be hard on her. 

If things are more violent than you can handle what can you do to separate them outside so they can get to know each other?


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## soosywoosy (Oct 15, 2021)

Things quietened down a bit, and now it's dark. I had left them all outside earlier for a couple of hours and when I went out to see how things were going in the shed, only the usual four were there and I found the new three huddled in a corner. I picked them up and put them in some bedding in the shed. I hope nothing happens before I open it up in the morning. I'll have to keep my fingers crossed and see how they are when I get back from work tomorrow. Assuming they are Orpingtons, do they normally make a peeping sort of sound? I've added a picture of when they were in the back room.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sweet little babies. 

Things should improve a little more everyday. As the babies learn where their new sleeping place is you won't have to keep putting them up.


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## soosywoosy (Oct 15, 2021)

The little noise they make is so endearing and the orangey one is adorable. I'll have to get up at seven to make sure I open the door before they all wake up, at least the new ones can run off somewhere round the garden.


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## soosywoosy (Oct 15, 2021)

On the third night they took themselves off to the shed


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That didn't take long at all. Usually you'd be putting them up at least a week. 

How are they getting on with the originals?


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## soosywoosy (Oct 15, 2021)

They keep apart, if they get too close, the originals get defensive. This evening I noticed that the new ones went into the shed first. Whether they've learned if they want the shelter that's what they ought to do or that breed gets the internal message to go sooner I don't know. It turns out on further investigation that they might be Wyandottes and the black ones might be roosters, which is bad news. When do they start mating? I don't want fertilised eggs.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Unless you're squeamish about eating fertilized eggs they won't hatch unless one of the girls goes broody. And that only works if you leave the eggs with her. 

They probably always will. But if they're not after each other then that's all that counts.


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## soosywoosy (Oct 15, 2021)

I thought it was too good to be true. I found the buff in the space between side of shed and house yesterday evening. I managed to work her out and put her in shed, but in the morning when I went to open the shed, she was being attacked by one of the LBs. I put her indoors for most of the day as I was cleaning it out and rearranging it, and sprayed her wound with Leucillin. I won't be in much the next few days - should I be worried? I've attached photos of the wound, which looks quite bad to me, but might it be normal?


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## soosywoosy (Oct 15, 2021)

I've just come from locking them in and the buff is in the new box with the two Wyandottes. now the question is, why don't they roost like the others?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It appears she has skin missing. I would put antibiotic ointment to help encourage the skin to granulate back in. The other worry is keeping the others away from that wound. We have Blu Kote here in the states but I've learned Canada has banned it. I don't know if the UK did or not or if there is a comparable product to use. The idea is to use the blue color to cover the red of the wound to keep others from attacking it.

Don't get overly dependent on the Leucillin. The only thing I saw that was beneficial is that it is a mild antiseptic. Be suspicious of any company that claims it works for everything but the kitchen sink when it comes to some products.


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## soosywoosy (Oct 15, 2021)

A quick search shows it is available but very expensive - perhaps supplied from USA? Anyway, the colouring comes from gentian violet that is available here so I'll look into getting some, in the meantime I'll try putting a blue plaster (from kitchen work) on it and the others so she doesn't stand out.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Weird, it was the gentian blue that caused Canada to ban it. Sometimes governments really make no sense. 

Check, make sure applying it full strength is OK and won't cause burns of any sort. I did find a gentler home made Blu Kote that used blue food coloring. Now I need to see if I can find it again.


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## lovely_chooks (Mar 19, 2021)

Basically just out the small chickens in a cage and then the big chickens outside and then let them see each other but don’t like touch each other got it?


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