New additions to the flock

First time outdoors, Feb 2019

This past week we adopted six more hens from a local hen rescue charity.  They pay for factory farm hens just past peak egg-laying, which are destined for slaughter:  these hens are 18 months old.  Many people are willing to take them on as pets instead, including us on occasion.  The last time we took in rescue hens was about three years ago, and we still have three of these very old ladies in the flock.

These six newbies are the sorriest looking bunch we've ever had.  Our first dozen or so adopted rescues were from the time of the battery cages, now since made illegal, but even those were not as bare as this lot.  To be fair, the ex-battery hens were in much poorer physical condition overall--they couldn't even walk when we first got them;  these ones seem bright enough, getting used to being outside and are already having fun scratching and dustbathing.

Because they are so very bare, particularly on their bottoms around their vents, I just feel they are too vulnerable to be integrated with our existing flock just yet.  As such, we've cordoned off a separate piece of the chicken yard just for them, and have moved the old rabbit hutch into it for them to shelter and sleep in.  The two flocks can see and hear each other just fine, but have no physical contact just yet.

I hope to try integration in another week or so, once everyone is much more used to the sight of each other;  I also want to make sure the newbies have learned to come when called (the old flock knows "chick chick chick" means "corn corn corn"), and where they're supposed to sleep at night--the husband has been helping them in every night this week.  When we integrate, we'll let them all free range together until we're sure they can get along.  I hope to start the whole flock on their regular garden rotation after this.

We lost our young black cockerel just before we got the newbies which, while a bit upsetting for us, should simplify integration, certainly.  We won't have to lock them in together in the chicken house (we have no real predators to speak of, but were locking them up so that any crowing would be muffled till around 8.30 am), and there will be no jumping on bare, unfeathered backs and accidently injuring them with spurs.

And we're still hoping our broody hen will go broody again with a few weeks in order to try for some more young hens--if she hatches a batch of chicks we'll have a mighty big flock this summer!