About to integrate for first time.. any thoughts?

[meetthebubus]

I've done all the studying on integration but any final tips on my situation before I do this may help,ease my trepidation thanks...
Here's bullet points on the situation...

1/4 acre full enclosure 360
1 hangout building/ nesting area 8 by 16 by 6 ft tall
1 hangout building 8 by 8 by 4 ft tall
Perches in coops and out
Easter eggers about 3 1/2 months 18 pullets 1 roo
Buff orps 2 years old 6 hens 1 roo
Buffs and ee's separated by fencing for bout 2 months now have seen each other no apparent aggression
Its getting 105 f days now so letting them all roam together is necessary
I know I may be over cautious I plan to put them together at dawn
Biggest worry is the big 2 yr roo wanting to mate with the immature pullets they are little compared to him and they mature slower


Any thoughts on what to look for or do? Thanks

 

[Lady of McCamley]

It looks like you'll have enough room for nesting, roosting, and roaming, though nearly 30 birds on 1/4 acre will pretty much max out the land in time...you'll need to rotate litter to keep things clean (I use the deep litter method and compost for garden). I have about 20 birds on 1/6 to 1/3 acre...rotating through new birds and flocks periodically.

Since it appears you have had visual integration already (if you haven't, then start with that first)...

At first physical integration....your 18 EE pullets plus rooster will act as a one flock.
Your established 6 BO hens and rooster will act as a flock....with more on the older rooster below.

I'm sure you've figured this out, but it will be absolutely essential that there are lots of feeding stations, and more importantly, water stations, spaced in separate areas with easy access and plenty of shade due to your heat. This is so no dominant bird can haze a younger/less dominant bird away from essential water and shade.

As to the roosters....it really boils down to their temperament, and in particular, that of the oldest one. Is he a gentleman? Or a tyrant. The youngest one matters too, as at 14 weeks, he can soon become a real jerk. The older hens tend to knock that silliness out of the hormonal teen boys, but junior may be the one that gets rough on your younger pullets when his hormones kick in and he wants to prove himself in the eyes of the older ladies and senior roo...watch out for that.

The greatest likelihood is the older rooster will simply let the younger rooster know his place and keep him in check. Watch for that battle. It can be simply deference to the senior roo allowing him first right of way, to prevention of food/water, to all out war fare with blood drawn. I would keep a close eye on that to see how that goes. You may need to separate the younger rooster out for his protection if the older boy begins to seriously haze him, or if per chance the younger boy is a really aggressive to the older. As the younger roo matures, you may need to separate him for protection of the younger pullets if the younger boy tries to prove his manhood and carve out his own flock.

Chances are, if you've got a fairly laid back older boy, and a reasonably sensible junior boy, he'll simply let the younger one know his place and all is well. Hopefully with the careful guidance of older rooster and hens, the younger teen will grow up to be a gentleman too.

You have 3 1/2 month old pullets...that is 14 weeks. That is almost a full size hen, so there won't be much risk physically. The BO's typically will have a bit heavier frame as they can be used for dual purpose. The EE's are hybrids, so their size and shape will vary, but mine have tended to be medium size birds, just maybe a bit more lighter framed than the BO's (depending on where you got the BO's...a lot of commercial BO's are more layer framed than meat framed).

At 14 weeks, the EE pullets won't submit to the BO rooster until they are at point of lay, which for an EE is usually 6 months (24 weeks). That means they will simply want to run away from any serious amorous attentions...ie they won't stand still and squat. Gentlemen roosters accept that. Jerks will chase hens down and throw them to the ground, which can hurt a younger hen. Make sure they have room to get away and that your older male is not hassling them aggressively....he is a BO, and if he's been a nice boy with his girls, chances are he will be a darling with the new ones.

A good mature rooster will simply herd all the girls into his flock without attempting to mate, though he may check one or two, and watch over all. He will haze the younger rooster a bit so that the young up start knows his place, but will overall simply take his senior position as flock leader. If your older BO boy does that, cherish him for the wonderful roo he is. That is born into them not made.

You are likely to have more interaction between the hens, to the annoyance of the roo....who will have to work hard to stop the hen fights. Again depends on the roo. Some just let them fight it out.

You won't have much interaction, likely 2 separate groups, as the young pullets are skittish and hazed by the older gals and happy to simply run away. Let the younger gals have room to run.

Fun starts when the younger gals come into lay, then you will see a lot of posturing and squawking as the fight over nesting develops until everyone figures out where it is okay to lay. Honestly, though you may have 10 identical nest boxes set up, there will be ONE golden nest box they all fight over. This settles in time. Just make sure there is access to other lovely boxes and salt eggs in those boxes so somebody sees how wonderful they are too.

So integration won't happen overnight. You'll likely have 2 separate flocks with the younger staying together and running from the older...hence have plenty of water stations in shade since you've got 105 degree heat....until the older rooster can settle everyone into one flock, depending on his temperament and abilities.

With open range integration, in a few weeks, sometimes sooner, sometimes longer, you'll wake up one morning and they have integrated. I've witnessed this almost always happens near point of lay, then the fights over nest begin, then settle, and finally you've got one happy flock.

Remove any bird that is overly aggressive and draws blood or creates actual harm. You don't have to put up with that. I find aggressive birds are especially tasty with onions, garlic, salt, and a little rosemary.

My thoughts.
LofMc

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks. Lady, you saved me a lot of typing.
1/4 acre is something like 100' x 100', a lot of room. The buildings are nice sized too.

I'll add a couple of things. When chickens mate the female squats. That gets her body on the ground so the weight of the rooster goes through her entire body to the ground, not just through her legs. That is natures way of protecting the hen form a larger rooster's weight. Until they are at point of lay the larger rooster is unlikely to bother the pullets but that cockerel may be a pest..

Don't force them to be together any more than you have to. After two months across that fence you should be able to just let them go. Do it when you can observe them but don't expect it to get too bad, it probably won't. There may be a little pecking and chasing at first, by the hens not the rooster, but it should soon sort itself out. if they want to stay to themselves and not mix, let them. If they wish to sleep separately and it does not create a hardship on you, let them. Give them plenty of time and room to work it out by themselves.

 

[igorsMistress]

@meetthebubus
Please update your thread here and let us know how things go. I'm hoping for best and curious to see how your boys will do. I know you're prepared so good luck, hope it goes great!

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Really,all you need to do is observe from here on.Intergrating birds isn’t as serious as they make it seem.Watch for a few days,if you notice birds getting less feed,getting picked on separate or add extra feeding and watering stations.Best thing to do with integration is to watch.Theres gonna be some aggression,probably soem fights (Depending on the age),but that’s usually it.

 

[meetthebubus]

@meetthebubus
Please update your thread here and let us know how things go. I'm hoping for best and curious to see how your boys will do. I know you're prepared so good luck, hope it goes great!

Thanks so much! I will update tomorrow may be the day to take down the fence seperation



My buff Roo is a gentleman most times he has not challenged the ee roo through the fence and the ee roo is crowing so they know he's a roo

Everyone helped relieve my nerves thanks maybe I'll make a video on how it goes