Introducing new chickens to the flock

[Technicolor]

My new chickens are 10 weeks old. I plan to wait a few more weeks or until they are about the same size as my older hens. One is a roo and the other 5 are hens. At the time I don't have a way to keep them separate but near each other. What would be the best way to go about introducing them? Making a separate area for them, putting them in the new coop at night. Will it be easier to introduce them since one is a roo, or harder?

 

[Debbie292d]

My new chickens are 10 weeks old. I plan to wait a few more weeks or until they are about the same size as my older hens. One is a roo and the other 5 are hens. At the time I don't have a way to keep them separate but near each other. What would be the best way to go about introducing them? Making a separate area for them, putting them in the new coop at night. Will it be easier to introduce them since one is a roo, or harder?

Do you free-range or have a run? If it's a run, you can pen off part of it for the new ones and give them a covered nest of some type, like a cat crate or small dog house, rabbit hutch, etc. to sleep in at night.

If no run, try letting them all free range as they won't go near each other anyway, at least normally they won't. If they do, you'll have to make a pen for them.

I wouldn't just put them in the coop at night right now as I'm assuming they're much smaller than your hens and they'd get pecked on in the morning.

Regardless, you should "quarantine" them for preferably two weeks to be sure they don't have anything and they can get used to your surroundings and feed too.

 

[Racsan]

What I did this spring when I got more chicken was have a small pen inside the larger pen, My larger pen at that time was a 12x12 kennel tarped up. The small pen the new little birds were in was a wire pet yard area that was about 3x3. The new chickens were about 12 weeks of age when I first brought them in to the new area. Their previous pen was a small feed trough like you see at rural king with their chickens. After a few weeks of both sets of birds being able to see each other I took down the small area and let them mingle. They did pretty much still keep a distance from each other and roosted at separate areas for the night. Even now in the new chicken house they are in specific roosting spots.

 

[aart]

My new chickens are 10 weeks old. I plan to wait a few more weeks or until they are about the same size as my older hens. One is a roo and the other 5 are hens. At the time I don't have a way to keep them separate but near each other. What would be the best way to go about introducing them? Making a separate area for them, putting them in the new coop at night. Will it be easier to introduce them since one is a roo, or harder?

@Technicolor Their sixe or gender won't make much difference, your existing birds will not be happy to have their territory 'invaded'.

How big is your coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would be most helpful here.

Meanwhile....
Probably too late, but:
Consider biological/medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article


...and then....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[Mrs. K]

I have had very good luck with this, and you don't have to build anything. When you introduce chickens to a new set up there are two issues. One, the original birds KNOW these are strangers invading their turf. AND the new chickens are in a strange place and are being chased in the strange place.

So, if you let your original birds outside the run and coop and LOCK them out. Put the new ones INSIDE and lock them in. Feed along the fence. At dark, put your chicks back to where ever you kept them before. Do this 2-3 days.

Then let the original birds in as close to dark as you can. Stay down there. The urge to roost, should be stronger than the urge to chase. After the old ones go to bed, toss the new ones in. Wait for it to settle and leave the pop up door open.

Once in a while, you will get a mead old biddy, if so lock her or a pair of them up and let the new birds and the nice originals work it out. After 3-4 days, you can let them out, and it should have settled.

But what it depends on, is how many original birds do you have, how many new birds do you want to add. How big of space do you have, do you have hide outs, multiple feed bowls?

Mrs K