Adding Chickens to Flock

[chirpingstad]

I am currently ordering more chicks to add to my flock after a fox attack. Currently, I have two Red Star chickens, which I know can be more aggressive towards other birds, but they were always pretty nice to each other and there were never any problems. I want to add more diversity to my flock but wanted to know if it would be alright to mix breeds in? I currently have in my cart 1 Red Star, 2 Australorps, 1 Black Star, 1 Buff Orpington, and 1 Barred Rock. Would these be alright to mix with my current flock of 2 Red Stars?

 

[Chickie friend]

It would probably be fine if you introduced them slowly. Let them "see but no touch" for about 2ish weeks and supervise them while they are together. Good luck!

 

[NatJ]

For adding chicks to an existing flock, this article has an idea that sounds good to me:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/

The person raises the chicks in the coop from the very beginning, first in a separated area and then with chick-sized doors. That lets the chicks come out to mingle with the big chickens, but they can escape back into their safe pen if the big ones act nasty. (The whole thing works because the chicks are so much smaller than the adult birds. And by the time the chicks are bigger, the adult birds have gotten used to having them around.)

Having more chicks and less big birds usually makes it easier--so you've already got that in your favor!

Your breed choices look OK to me.

 

[Ridgerunner]

wanted to know if it would be alright to mix breeds?

All those are all regular dual purpose chickens. You don't have any with strange feathers (like Silkies) or weird things growing around their heads (like Polish). Your integration issues will be the same as if they were all the same breed and color. Lots of people have Silkies and Polish in with their dual purpose birds without problems but some people say they can cause issues. I sometimes wonder if it is their integration techniques that cause those issues because so many others don't have those issues.

My first flock was red and yellow, black and white. Speckled Sussex, Buff Orpington, Black Australorp, and Delaware. No issues at all because of mixing breeds or different colors. Your integration issues will be from mixing chicks with adults.

I don't know where you heard that Red Stars can be more aggressive. Red Stars are not a breed, it's just a marketing name for red sex links. Some Red Stars are made by crossing two different dual purpose breeds. These should act like other dual purpose breeds, no better and no worse. Some are based on the commercial egg-laying hybrids. These are bred to take confinement well and get along with other birds even when housed in pretty close conditions. Black Star is also a marketing name, it just means a black sex link, could be a commercial hybrid or a cross of two dual purpose breeds.

The differences in aggression that I've seen is not because of breed. Each chicken has its own personality. Different chickens of the same breed can be way different in aggressive tendencies. Housing them too close together can bring out aggression from any bird. Differences in age (maturity) can bring out aggression, it doesn't matter what breed they are. You can get the same issues whether they are all the same breed and color or if they are mixed.

I like your mix, you should enjoy them. Good luck on integration.

 

[featherhead007]

There's nothing wrong with Polish!

 

[Mrs. K]

That will be a beautiful flock!

 

[aart]

I currently have in my cart 1 Red Star, 2 Australorps, 1 Black Star, 1 Buff Orpington, and 1 Barred Rock. Would these be alright to mix with my current flock of 2 Red Stars?

Will these new chicks be coming in spring....or....?
If in spring, you have plenty of time to set up your coop for early integration as @NatJ mentioned. Hopefully you have space in your coop and run to make it easier.
It really works great, here's couple other similar set ups:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

Oh, and...Welcome to BYC! @lmringstad
Come on over to the Michigan Chat thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/michigan-thread-all-are-welcome.697050/page-4700

 

[chirpingstad]

Will these new chicks be coming in spring....or....?
If in spring, you have plenty of time to set up your coop for early integration as @NatJ mentioned. Hopefully you have space in your coop and run to make it easier.
It really works great, here's couple other similar set ups:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

Oh, and...Welcome to BYC! @lmringstad
Come on over to the Michigan Chat thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/michigan-thread-all-are-welcome.697050/page-4700

yes they will be coming in spring!