Flock Intergration - A New theory

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OrionDarkwood

OrionDarkwood

In the Brooder
Dec 8, 2015
45
1
31
SE NC
We have 7 adult Australorps (1 roo, 6 hens) and we are in the progress of integrating 25 Black Ranger broilers that are current 4 weeks old. We have been dumping the used bedding from the pen we have the Black Rangers in the pen that we have the Australorps. A few days ago we started taking the Black Rangers for meet and greets and noticed a curious thing, the Australorps don't seem to mind the Black Rangers, they haven't tried to peck at them or anything like we where expecting. About the most is our Australorp roo has growled at them a couple of times and then moved on.

Our meet and greet pen is right beside our main chicken pen which is around 3600 sq foot.

My question is am I on to something as far as integrating the flocks by putting the used bedding of the Black Rangers in with the Australorps? Or are our chickens just laid back. We have raised chickens in the past (like 20+ years ago) and always had some issues integrating flocks.

Thanks
 
Chickens are not like rabbits.The scent and items of the others doesn't mean a thing,the chicks are still strangers.Their scent doesn't mean anything
 
aart said:
Is the 'meet and greet' where the birds are physically in the same pen...or separated by wire?
Click to expand...
Separated by wire. The way I always did flock intergration in the past is once the birds have all their feathers (depends on the breed) You take them out for meet and greets with your exisitng flock for a few days, then you put them (the new birds) in the coop at night and change the food and water around to disorient your existing flock. Then the next morning futhur disorient them and force integration by making a bunch of loud noise and running them out of the coop.

The new theory is usually during the first meet and greet the existing flock pecks at the new birds, sometimes trying to peck them to death/open up their neck arteries. But like I said above they (existing flock) actted like the new birds where already part of the flock.
 
TheTwoRoos said:
Chickens are not like rabbits.The scent and items of the others doesn't mean a thing,the chicks are still strangers.Their scent doesn't mean anything
Click to expand...
Can have a good sense of smell see link However what you are asking is what I am trying to find out. Basically by me picking a breed that is the same color and/or putting thier bedding in the pen of my existing flock cause them to treat them (the new birds) like part of the flock instead of the usually bumps in the road during integration.
 
yeah I see where your at with this,it;s just I have never heard of chickens using scent as a key to lif (accept to tell who's chicks who's).
 
TheTwoRoos said:
yeah I see where your at with this,it;s just I have never heard of chickens using scent as a key to lif (accept to tell who's chicks who's).
Click to expand...
Neither have I hence the topic, I have see them use scent to pick good fruit from rotten fruit (we use our chickens to compost).
 

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