Add a couple; remove a couple - at the same time?

[jillstu]

Hi there,

I have four 11 week old pullets (2 wyndottes, 1 cuckoo maran, 1 speckled sussex) and an 11 week old cockerel + two 2 week old buckeye chicks. At some point I plan on culling the rooster and the meanest wyndotte from the flock and integrating the buckeyes.

I am thinking it might be best to do both at the same time? Pecking order would need only be upset once instead of twice, the 3 remaining birds from the original flock may be happy that the two most aggressive birds were replaced by 2 less threatening birds, and the two newbies might get picked on less.

I'd still follow the suggestions around having the two groups live in proximity with fence dividing them before consolidating. Just one day there would be 5 instead of 7, and everyone left would be together.

Good idea? Bad idea? Thoughts on when? I was thinking I would cull the 2 birds when the older group starts laying - so the older group would be about 21 weeks, and the younger two 12 weeks.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Judy]

Sounds good to me. One of the tricks people use to integrate is to put everyone in a new place, maybe an unused garden, so they are distracted by the environment. Good luck!

Maybe something here would help:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock