What age to introduce

[Heatherschicks1]

I have several chickens from hatches that I have done and I want to make sure they are big enough to go in with the other. My transition cage worked very well for a while and I've moved any roosters out and into a seperate rooster run since I have roosters in my flock already. They are about 3-4 months old not quiet as big as my other birds but most of my flock is of birds that are about 7 months old from a December hatch (my older flock was killed by a dog attack) I just want to make sure I don't end up with any dead birds I lost a few from over crowding and sold some to manage my smaller bird space. Just some advice on appropriate age range. The are about maybe 2/3 the size of my older birds.

 

[aart]

I'd say 4 months is about the right time.


Here's some notes I've taken on integration that I found to be very helpful.......
......take what applies or might help and ignore the rest.
See if any of them, or the links provided at the bottom, might offer some tips that will assist you in your situation:

Integration of new chickens into flock.

Consider medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
Poultry Biosecurity
BYC 'medical quarantine' search

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. Integrating new birds of equal size works best.

For smaller chicks I used a large wire dog crate right in the coop for the smallers. I removed the crate door and put up a piece of wire fencing over the opening and bent up one corner just enough for the smallers to fit thru but the biggers could not. Feed and water inside the crate for the smallers. Make sure the smallers know how to get in and out of the crate opening before exposing them to the olders. this worked out great for me, by the time the crate was too small for the them to roost in there(about 3 weeks), they had pretty much integrated themselves to the olders.

If you have too many smallers to fit in a crate you can partition off part of the coop with a wire wall and make the same openings for smallers escape.


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 blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down, 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 and/or up and away from any bully birds.

Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[Heatherschicks1]

I have several boxes and brooders that I kept the smaller birds in until they were about 2 months old... They have been in the inclosure in the coop for a few weeks... My older birds notice them make two of them very broody... They have the roosting room which is about a 8x15 a laying room with the boxes that's is about 8x10 and then the outside run... I feel I have plenty of room just concerned by the size if I can I will take pictures