Integrating young pullets with mature hens - what's the best age?

[Fletch83]

I have three, 8-week old pullets and a small flock of three mature hens. They have been living outside in a coop & run separate from the older hens, but still right next to the hens' coop & run so they can get used to each other. They've been out like this for a few weeks now.

The older hens will sometimes try and peck the youngsters through the chicken wire, but that's it. My question is - at around what age should I allow the young pullets to begin free-ranging with the older hens? I would like to eventually have them all in the same coop and run, but I want the babies to be big enough to defend themselves from the big hens if necessary. I'd like to have them begin free-ranging together to begin with so that they can get used to each other and establish a pecking order, but don't want the babies to get too hurt.

Thanks!

 

[lazy gardener]

The one important thing that I think is being overlooked in SOME back yard flocks during integration: Coop/run too small for the existing flock to allow younger birds being integrated enough space to "get away" from their aggressors. If there is not enough room for the youngsters to retreat to a socially acceptable distance, the aggression will continue without relent. Those coops need to be big enough, and those runs big enough to allow alternate perching that is out of reach of the beaks of the old biddies. They also need hiding places that are not dead end. "Out of sight, out of mind" fits the mentality of most chickens.

 

[CluckerCottage]

I have my mature hens in their own coop/run with a fence separating my brooder coop/run.
They have been interacting with each other since the babies were big enough to go outside.
I am not comfortable with removing the separation fence yet with the babies being 9 and 1/2 weeks old; normally I wait until 12-13 weeks.

I have brought some of my more gentle hens into the brooder run with me to test the waters.
For the most part, my hens go about their business, paying little attention to the babies.
I have however seen a bit of aggression when the babies get too close to the hens; I am always there to intervene so little to no contact is made.
Yes, I do keep a lawn chair in their run so I can sit my tired old butt down to watch them! Ha ha!
I will keep up with what I'm doing until I am satisfied enough to completely integrate them all. I enjoy my birds so much and any time I can spend with them makes me happy and relaxed.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Just integrated my 4-5 week old chicks. Had them penned for about 5 days, opened the door yesterday. They are out and about like they own the place. An occasional peck but nothing serious, one was trying to take food out of an older hens mouth, another was pecking at my oldest roosters wattles, others were going everywhere. No one cared. Easiest integration yet.

 

[aart]

The worst bully is probably low bird of the bigs pecking order.....
...they seem to be the ones who either love finally having someone of lower status to pick on,
or they are concerned about being passed over again in the pecking order.

I would not separate her, that just sets you up for another integration,
unless there is copious blood letting or she's trapping/pinning the chicks down and beating them unmercilessly.
Then she'll need a time out, just for an hour or a few, see if that helps....might have to rinse and repeat the timeout before it has an effect.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree! Another thing that has always served me well is culling for temperament. No amount of eggs or pretty plumage is worth the rest of the flock living in constant wariness of a cranky bird that can't get along with the rest of the flock without constantly bullying another bird. Nasty chickens taste like....chicken.

If I see hens that are consistently pecking other birds outside of feeding and roosting time and they have no apparent reasoning behind it such as protecting chicks, those birds are marked for culling. Oddly enough, those also seem to be the birds with the worst production in the flock, so culling them becomes a dual benefit....could be the hormone deficiency that keeps them from being a good layer also turns them to needless aggression towards others.

 

[bobbi-j]

I feel that quarantine is a personal choice - neither right nor wrong. The thing is, so many people don't have the room to do it properly and think that sticking a new chicken in a cage or pen next to the flock is "quarantine". When it's advised on here to "quarantine your birds" that advice should be followed with instructions on how to do so properly. I rarely bring new birds into my flock, and when I do, it's from trusted sources and I don't quarantine. When the time comes that I lose my flock to some sort of disease, I may rethink that. Again, I don't think it's a right or wrong decision - just one that we all have to make for our flocks.

 

[Beekissed]

What is CO and what do you dust them with? I have heard of dusting with DE and I have that but have never actually dusted a chicken, I just mixed it into their dust baths.

How do you build a strong immune system in your flock?

CO is Castor Oil and I use it on legs and feet to treat or prevent scale mite. I dust with pyrethrin powder, which you can order online....you'll not find it too often in many garden centers, though you can find permethrin powder and many old timers use that as well.

Building strong immune systems starts before two cells divide in that egg. The parent birds need to be hardy, healthy and strong, with the most naturally nutritious feed they can ingest, access to clean soils and adequate forage.

Then that chick needs to be on the ground in the coop immediately after hatch, just as soon as it's dry and can walk adequately, that chick needs to be exposed to the germs of the flock, of the soils and the environment in which they will be living. Any weak chicks need to be killed immediately, not held over to "give them a chance", babied around and given vitamins or meds to "help" them survive, etc. In the wild they would have none of these and they would not survive, thus insuring strong birds in that line. Better even if hatched under a broody mama, where they will be exposed to the proper germs and eliminated if they are weak.

No vaccines, no meds, no overfeeding, plenty of exercise, sunshine, huge ventilation, clean soils, natural diet while growing. Cull all birds that do not thrive on this life, who do not lay well on this life, are too old to lay, have never shown hardy vigor, poor social skills(flock picks on them...there's always a reason, cull the bird), poor temperament, constantly broody, fail to regrow feathers quickly nor look bright eyed and healthy. Acting sick? Give it a day or so to see if it will recover...do not isolate it from the flock and baby it around. If it doesn't recover in a day or so, cull it. Open it up and explore the reason, learn about the birds as you go along.

No excess cleaning and disinfecting of the coop, the feeders, the waterers, etc. Just regular cleaning on an as needed basis...there is no such thing as sterile or germ free when dealing with chickens and it's silly to even think it. They walk in their own feces every day. A swish to remove extra dirt, rinse and clean water to refresh is good enough for chickens.....they love to drink out of the muddiest, nastiest water out there even with pristine water right next to it. Maybe that nasty water helps them form immunity, who knows?

A good, cultured and composting deep litter on the coop floor and in any runs or spare pens. A varied diet of good foods found out on range, any veggies and fruits available from the garden, any meat scraps, snakes, lizards, etc. they can pick up along the way. Fermenting the feed helps but is not a cure all or a complete answer to good health, nor is DE, ACV, high pro feeds or calcium supplements.

Choose breeds that are known for natural hardiness, that do well out on range and will forage well for a natural diet...birds that haunt the feeder all the time can be culled, as they are getting no exercise and are eating bagged feed most of the time. It's the equivalent of a couch potato who eats processed foods all the time...are they going to have a good immune system and be as healthy as the rest? Not likely. If Suzy can make an egg each day on mostly foraged and natural foods and Stella can only make an egg each day if she eats lots of processed feed, guess which one gets to stick around?

No heating the coop in the winter....good, fresh air in the coop to move stale air and germs up and out of the coop. Any bird that needs heating in the winter, you can cull...they aren't hardy enough to breed or keep in the flock. Any bird that does poorly in extreme cold and in extreme heat, you can cull....they aren't strong enough to pass along genetics.

Now...do that season after season and you will have a flock that can withstand anything that comes along. I can't stress enough the power of the yearly or even bi-annual cull to insure you have the strongest birds in the coop. I can't stress enough the importance of low stocking rates on your soil, of good airflow in the coop, of exercise and natural foods and of maintaining only the strongest genetics.

Yeah...it takes work and commitment, but the end product is worry free.

 

[Beekissed]

I can't say that any of my chickens are family....I have a real family available....but nor are they a commercial flock. They are just a healthy, free ranging, productive group of birds that live a great life and earn a good death here.

 

[Mrs. K]

Before I turn her out, I would put the feed bowl right next to the cage wall, inside and outside of the cage, so they are eating together for a bit.

Introducing a single bird is one of the most difficult introductions, a single smaller bird into an established flock increases the difficulty.

I think I would wait a couple of more weeks. And then, at night when things are roosted up, you might try changing their places. So put all three of your hens in that cage for a couple of days, and let the new one out to explore the run and coop. This does two things, it lets the old chicken see this bird in their territory, and get used to that idea, and it lets the new bird explore this area, and get comfortable in it, without being attacked. Set up some hideouts in the run, a pallet against a wall or up on bricks, making sure that there are two exits for each hideout, so something does not get trapped.

Then after two days, when the new bird is roosting in the coop (you may have to put her there a few times) let one of the older birds out at just before dark. They should both roost in the coop. Do that until you do not see scuffling between the new/old pair.

Then let them all out, very close to dark. Let them work it out, unless there is blood.

Introducing a single bird is one of the most difficult introductions, a single smaller bird into an established flock increases the difficulty.

Good luck,

Mrs K