I just moved my two month old pullets into the coop. There are four of them and I haven't had a problem yet.. I followed the advice to put them in the coop at night and the released them with the others in the morning. I stayed out there for about an hour watching the group. Almost all of the hens came over and inspected them. Some of the hens gave them a little peck but didn't attack. The pullets would run a little ways away from the hen and that submission seemed to satisfy the hen. Your pullet being the only one might be a problem since there seems to be safety in numbers. Mine go together around the coop. If she is crated you might put the crate in the coop where the others can get used to her.. Kit

I put my 10 little babies (2 months old)in with the others the older ones did peck at first but now the little ones know thier place and all is good. they still fight now and then but it dont last.

well I guess I have some mighty mean chickens then, because when I bring her there the three girls (not yet a year though) really go to town on the little one. I will save the description, but its more than some pecking.

I will try putting her in at night and cross my fingers.

I live in NJ and winter is here, is 10 weeks feathered out enough to survive the winter (no heat source in the coop)?

For that matter will the big ones survive?

Thanks for the support!

How protected is your coop? Drafts can be a problem.. I am in Texas but had a couple of chickens when I lived in Jersey. They were in an unheated coop and didn't seem to suffer the cold. I did give them an area with hay to cuddle up in if they needed to. They generally used the perches. It always amazed me how they would be out in their yard even with snow on the ground.. Kit

The earlier you can integrate the chicks to the general population, the better. The roos especially are very gentle with the chicks and the hens only aggressive enough to establish their dominence in the pecking order. As soon as mine get past the brooder stage and are acclimated to ambient temps, I put them in a cage in the coop for a day or two, then open up a door of the cage so they can come and go and run there for cover. It only takes a few days before they're getting on fine.

A two month old chick is not a baby to the population. It's like introducing an adult, for all practical purposes.

I like that idea, the cage in the coop. Its a pretty big coop and only 3 hens a roo and 3 guineas so there is plenty of room.

Tomorrow night will be the night, I will move the cage in with Evie (the little one) while every one is sleeping.

Stay tuned.

the cage is a great method. my chickens are out in my field confined by an electric fence (i move them around). when i introduce noobs i cage them inside the big ones fence for a couple of days and then let them out. theres not much fighting then. i do this as soon as the brooding time is over. (4 weeks or so).

If you click on my 'My Page' link, there is tons of chicken info there that might help you, including on how to introduce new birds to an existing flock. I use a technique I call 'Meet & Greets' to get them used to each other in stages, which has worked great for me for many years.

I turn my chicks out into the flock at the age of two months old when they are basically teenagers. Hens begin laying and roos crowing and mating at around 6 months old and so are considered adults then for all practical purposes. There is always going to be some squabbling and butt-kicking at first with new birds as the flock teaches them their place, and 99% of the time the newcomers will be at the bottom of the pecking order. It's up to YOU to be Head Roo (whether you are a man or women doesn't matter) and not to tolerate too much fighting. Remember that YOU are the head of the flock, no matter what.

Good luck and congrats on the babies! :)

Velvet ~:>

We never had a problem introducing our chicks to the general population. We have a big coop and about 25 hens. Our neighbors, however, had the same problem as you. A couple of chicks were pecked to death. They only had three hens in a smaller coop, but still plenty big enough. I think it may have to do with the breed. They have Rhode Island Reds, and I notice they have a more assertive and aggressive personality than our chickens of various breeds. I think the cage in the coop is a good idea at first, but I would leave them in there for a few days first.

Well no success yet.

The first day she escaped the pen but came back by nightfall.

The second night passed ok, but in the morning she was huddled in a nook of the coop and wouldn't come out.

Yesterday she was bleeding from one wing, but it seemed to have healed by today.

The thing is, she does not mix at all with the others. She sticks her head by a rock and doesn't move the whole day! Chicken!

But she was raised alone and doens't know 'how it is'. I can only hope she integrates at this point because she won't be a house pet.

As far as my head roo status, I am only there from time to time, and although I spend time every day, the majority of their time is 'unsupervised'. And when the alpha is away the betas will play...

A thought just occured to me.. If you hatched her in an incubater she may have imprinted on you and doesn't "know" she is a chicken.. You may have a real problem with her..
I would think that chickens like other birds imprint on the first creature that they see. Can you give her an area in the coop that is fenced for her protection until she figures this out??
Kit

"She sticks her head by a rock and doesn't move the whole day!"

My chickens do this when they are sick or injured. She is hiding for saftey. Follow the above advise about caging her protectivly inside the coop. You will have to provide her own water and food inside her cage. The others will have to get used to her and it could take some time. Velvet's page is a wealth of information. Read it and good luck!

The cage inside the coop is the only you will be able to introduce the new pullet. Try leaving the pullet in the cage for at least a week, then release her in the coop and cage the other three for at least another week. When you release the older hens, the pullet will know her way around the coop and all the chickens will know each other. I would also introduce a roost if you do not have one. That way the older hens will be able to sleep higher than the new one and will feel dominate, it will also aid the younger in an excape route. In NJ a ten week old chick has no chance in the winter unless there are a lot of them (50)in a small area for warmth. Provide her with a temperature of at least 35-40 degrees F. Until a bird has two layers of feathers there is not much insulation value.