Rescued chick and flock

**freyadog** · 06-20-2008, 02:07 PM

As many know I rescued a chick we call Gizmo(Miss) and we have had her in a brooder. She is 6 weeks old. When it is time to take her out of the brooder how do we introduce her to the flock safely. I stay awake at night wondering how to do this so the other chickens will not harm her. Any advice.

**FrugalWitch** · 06-20-2008, 02:33 PM

If you find out let me know. I had a rescue chick several years ago. I tried everything to introduce her safely to the flock.(if you can call just 4 other chickens a flock) No go. Every time she was in the pen they tried to kill her. I tried using a pet crate. I tried letting her out near the fence so the other chickens could see her. Just had no luck

She became a pet instead. I fixed her up an area in our enclosed porch and (much to my ex-husbands annoyance) brought her into the house during cold winter nights. (she had an area in the bathroom with a space heater) She was a happy bird though! Miss Peep lived to be 5 years old before she passed on. Good layer too.

**freyadog** · 06-20-2008, 02:43 PM

Oh FrugalWitch so glad that things turned out for you and your peeper. Gizmo I am afraid is going to end up the same way. In the house. Am going to go into backyardchickens.com and see if anyone there has any advise.

**favesis37** · 06-20-2008, 05:21 PM

good luck and let us know.

**AmeliaM** · 06-21-2008, 09:20 PM

My fiance said this is hard, but the best thing to do is wait until she is around 6 months old and if you know who the dominant(alpha) female is and introduce her slowly one at a time starting w the alpha female. And then after that w the alpha and one more ,and then the alpha w two, the alpha w three etc...,but if the alpha female doesn't accept her she will not be accepted. You will have to do it slowly. And go by feel, but if you can get the alpha female to accept her it is just a matter of slowly adding one more at a time over a period until all have been introduced. You can't just throw her in w all of them at once. He says good luck.

**freyadog** · 06-21-2008, 11:27 PM

Thanks Amelia, I do appreciate the help and thank your fiance. Gizmo is so adorable that I do not want anything to happen to her. I will print your suggestions out and give it a try when she is older.
thank you again.

**cmdarlin** · 06-23-2008, 08:49 AM

We're going on our third year of raising chicks on our small farm. When we have newbies to introduce to the flock, I usually keep them in a cage in the coop with the others. Usually for a week or two and then when I do let them out I will sit and watch in case I have to intervene. We've not lost one yet.

Debbie in Missouri

**freyadog** · 06-23-2008, 08:53 AM

Thank you Debbie so much. Gizmo is such a darling that I dont want anything to happen to her. When I take her out of the brooder she hides in my shirt with just her head sticking out. I just dont want a chicken sleeping between dh and I. KWIM

**cmdarlin** · 06-23-2008, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by freyadog

Thank you Debbie so much. Gizmo is such a darling that I dont want anything to happen to her. When I take her out of the brooder she hides in my shirt with just her head sticking out. I just dont want a chicken sleeping between dh and I. KWIM

We have chickens here that are my pets. DH gets so mad cause he can't butcher anything on the farm for fear it could be one of my 'babies'. I have 4 girls that come running whenever I'm out in the yard. Its so funny..... Our baby goats are like that too. He makes fun of how they just follow me when I'm in the pasture. At least once a day I have to go out there and just love on them. *lol*

Debbie in Missouri

**Bloo** · 07-05-2008, 05:07 PM

how did it work out with the chick? i found this advice today if you still need it

(Just as an aside, when adding a new hen to the flock, put her in the henhouse at night and when the hens wake up in the morning, they say, "this hen has been here all of the time." But if you put her in during daylight hours, they'll say, "new hen, new hen, peck her!")

http://www.chickenkeeping.com

**AmyBoz** · 07-05-2008, 08:14 PM

I didn't even realize that this was a concern for chicks. See...you learn something new every day! Keep us updated and let us know how the baby does!

**freyadog** · 07-06-2008, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by Bloo

how did it work out with the chick? i found this advice today if you still need it

http://www.chickenkeeping.com

WE still have Gozmo in the brooder but she is coming out of it tomorrow. Dh has built her her own condo. yep scratching yard and bedroom, it sits on the ground. we will let her stay in there until she is grown or just about for the time being. The other chickens are so much bigger than she is AND I had her loose in the garden the other day and one of the roos got past me through the gate and actually got ahold of her. she was screaming, I was screaming and dh was screaming ,dh finally got ahold of the roo before he actually did the deed and had him by the neck. I thought to my soul that he would have clipped the roos clock if I had given the word.