5 New Birds to be Integrated to existing flock of 18

[Mrs. K]

Lock your older birds out into the yard. This will allow the pullets to explore without confrontation. They can gain some territorial rights. Feed along the fence line. It is the old see but not chase idea, without a lot of building.

If you don't let your birds out too often, they will stay close by.

When you put strange birds in a strange place, it severely saps their confidence. Just by giving them a couple of days - they will gain it back, and they will integrate much more smoothly.

Mrs K

 

[Ted Brown]

@Mrs. K

Useful information, thank you.

The Chantecler group are always together, your suggestion that they need to regain confidence makes sense.

I do not let my birds out of the coop/run given predators and exposure to mites. They do have multiple feeding stations.

During the day the original group are in the run, go into the coop to lay and eat/drink only.

As you suggest I will give the Chants more time to find their place.

 

[Ted Brown]

This morning when I went to feed/water the chickens I saw that the 5 Chanteclers were in the run, still sticking together but not being abused by any of the others. Their egg production is still sparse but I am confident that will increase over the next days.

Overall a smooth integration so far.

 

[Mrs. K]

You should have it beat then

 

[Ted Brown]

I went to the coop last evening as it was getting dark, 3 of my Chantecler hens were on the roosts the 4th and cockerel were squeezed together atop a 2' tall trunk section.

I moved the 4th pullet to the roost and tried to move the cockerel, he decided no and I was unwilling to chase. Will do the same routine tonight.

 

[Gryz]

I have a flock of 12 1GLW rooster 5 GLW hens, all around 8 weeks, 4 SLW and 2 barred rock hens around 7 weeks. I am getting 3 2 week old Australorp hens today. Best way to intro them?

 

[3KillerBs]

I went to the coop last evening as it was getting dark, 3 of my Chantecler hens were on the roosts the 4th and cockerel were squeezed together atop a 2' tall trunk section.

I moved the 4th pullet to the roost and tried to move the cockerel, he decided no and I was unwilling to chase. Will do the same routine tonight.

He'll join the ladies in due time.

My younger cockerels are actually better at roosting respectfully lower than the adults than the younger pullets are.

I have a flock of 12 1GLW rooster 5 GLW hens, all around 8 weeks, 4 SLW and 2 barred rock hens around 7 weeks. I am getting 3 2 week old Australorp hens today. Best way to intro them?

Welcome to BYC. If you put your general location into your profile we can give better targeted advice. Climate matters.

I'm not 100% clear, the new birds are only 2 weeks old? Still babies in need of a brooder?

How many of these birds are in the brooder vs in the coop?

Here are some useful articles on integration:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-“see-but-don’t-touch”-method.67839/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/adding-to-your-flock.47756/

BTW -- Your chickens are chicks up to somewhere between 4-8 weeks -- pretty much until they've got all their feathers and are weaned off heat.

After that, your males are cockerels and your females are pullets until about a year old (though some people call the females hens after they are old enough to lay full-sized eggs).

They become roosters and hens at about a year.

 

[Ted Brown]

This evening the 4 Chant pullets are on the roosts and the cockerel up on one of the vertical trunk sections looking plaintively at his ladies.

And I thought males took the lead in such things. @3KillerBs suggested above that cockerels sometimes roost lower as a sign of respect. I hope that is correct rather than him being weenie.

 

[Mrs. K]

Generally, a cockerel won't roost with the ladies until he is more than 6 months.

 

[Ted Brown]

Generally, a cockerel won't roost with the ladies until he is more than 6 months.

All five Chanteclers were hatched June of 2022.

My breeder preferred to sell at six months old in order to make a better choice.