Adding Chickens to the Flock

[Kuritsa y Utochka]

Hi all,

I have a flock of five Barred Rock hens. They're relatively peaceful, the only pecks are in the dust bath and very occasionally at the feeder (there's only four ports). Their run is 200 square feet, by the way. I am buying three more young pullet (just starting to lay). Does anyone have any tips for peaceful integration on a low budget? I can't wait to get my girls. Thanks!

Kuritsa

 

[DobieLover]

Hi all,

I have a flock of five Barred Rock hens. They're relatively peaceful, the only pecks are in the dust bath and very occasionally at the feeder (there's only four ports). Their run is 200 square feet, by the way. I am buying three more young pullet (just starting to lay). Does anyone have any tips for peaceful integration on a low budget? I can't wait to get my girls. Thanks!

Kuritsa

Does your run have a solid roof? Can you post pictures of your setup?

The best way to introduce new pullets to a flock of hens is using the "look don't touch" approach where the pullets are confined in a section of the run behind a wire fence so both sub-flocks can see each other but not touch each other. Having one of those dinky little prefab coops in the run with a larger fenced in section around it works quite well for this purpose.

They are kept this way for a week or two then the original flock is kept in the coop one morning while the new comers have the run to themselves for an hour or two to get to know the space. It is best that this space is full of clutter with lots of places to perch, things to hide behind, run litter to scratch through and multiple feed/water sites.

After the new pullets have explored the run for a bit you let the original flock out to intermingle and you just supervise without getting involved unless someone is in real trouble. A little chasing, pecking, feather pulling and even a bloody peck or two is all acceptable. Jumping a pullet, pinning her down and tearing at her is not.

 

[cmobley]

Hi all,

I have a flock of five Barred Rock hens. They're relatively peaceful, the only pecks are in the dust bath and very occasionally at the feeder (there's only four ports). Their run is 200 square feet, by the way. I am buying three more young pullet (just starting to lay). Does anyone have any tips for peaceful integration on a low budget? I can't wait to get my girls. Thanks!

Kuritsa

Open the door and toss em in. The longer you keep them apart or keep separating them the longer the fighting will go on. Throw em in get it over with everybody will be happy.

 

[aart]

Do you have any tips on how to section off the enclosure with wire fence?

Some careful cutting of wire mesh, could use something with larger holes than the HC.
Where's the coop?

I suppose it could be one of the other chickens pecking her, but as I said before, they're rather peaceful, and she's at the top of the pecking order. So I'm not sure what happened there.

Could have been a fight, or a random piece of wire.
Combs(crown) can bleed quite a bit, but heal quickly.

 

[DobieLover]

My run has a tarp covering about a third of the area. There are a couple of 2x4's supporting the structure due to our reconstruction of the enclosure after a wild storm wrecked it last summer (thankfully the chickens were in the garage at that time, as we were on vacation).

Do you have any tips on how to section off the enclosure with wire fence? Thank you for the suggestion.

I also thought I should note that after I posted this thread yesterday, I noticed the head of one of my hens was covered in dried blood, and her crown had some drops of it too. I didn't see any visible wounds, although I did see a few feathers missing. She was acting completely normal. I suppose it could be one of the other chickens pecking her, but as I said before, they're rather peaceful, and she's at the top of the pecking order. So I'm not sure what happened there.

There is nothing in the run. I would add lots of things to the run. Dry organic litter to dig through, branches/old wood chairs or stools to perch on, lean a pallet or two up against the run wall, put some stumps of varying heights in there.

 

[aart]

Thank you. The coop is in our garage, actually, separate from the enclosure. We did that to keep them safe from predators during the night (also, we live in an urban area, and it gets very loud at night). The chickens run back and forth each day. They learned how to get to and from the enclosure pretty quickly.

A separate coop and run is going to make integrating new birds harder.

Yes, clutter in the run:
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[nickey]

I would do it exactly as you wrote. After the newbies have explored the run for maybe half the day you can open the door to the run and let them go out and free-range with the older birds or they can stay in the run and the older birds can join them in there. Whatever they want to do. Bear in mind that it takes months for full integration to occur. You are going to see two sub flocks for quite some time.

One of the original hens has been a little bossy with them and in general the older hens stayed together and the new ones stayed together. The rooster seemed to divide his time. The new girls still slept on thier old roost last night.Today he tried several times to keep them all in one flock. They are all on the roost bar in the coop tonight! The barred rock girl was all by herself on the far side, the little red hen was snuggled up with the roo.

 

[nickey]

Does your run have a solid roof? Can you post pictures of your setup?

The best way to introduce new pullets to a flock of hens is using the "look don't touch" approach where the pullets are confined in a section of the run behind a wire fence so both sub-flocks can see each other but not touch each other. Having one of those dinky little prefab coops in the run with a larger fenced in section around it works quite well for this purpose.

They are kept this way for a week or two then the original flock is kept in the coop one morning while the new comers have the run to themselves for an hour or two to get to know the space. It is best that this space is full of clutter with lots of places to perch, things to hide behind, run litter to scratch through and multiple feed/water sites.

After the new pullets have explored the run for a bit you let the original flock out to intermingle and you just supervise without getting involved unless someone is in real trouble. A little chasing, pecking, feather pulling and even a bloody peck or two is all acceptable. Jumping a pullet, pinning her down and tearing at her is not.

If it's ok to hop on this thread. I have tomorrow set as my introduction day and was thinking I'd let the new girls out into the run while I let the original flock free range. Should I let the new girls free range with the original flock later in the day or try to herd the original flock back in the run for introductions?

 

[DobieLover]

If it's ok to hop on this thread. I have tomorrow set as my introduction day and was thinking I'd let the new girls out into the run while I let the original flock free range. Should I let the new girls free range with the original flock later in the day or try to herd the original flock back in the run for introductions?

I would do it exactly as you wrote. After the newbies have explored the run for maybe half the day you can open the door to the run and let them go out and free-range with the older birds or they can stay in the run and the older birds can join them in there. Whatever they want to do. Bear in mind that it takes months for full integration to occur. You are going to see two sub flocks for quite some time.

 

[Kuritsa y Utochka]

If it's ok to hop on this thread. I have tomorrow set as my introduction day and was thinking I'd let the new girls out into the run while I let the original flock free range. Should I let the new girls free range with the original flock later in the day or try to herd the original flock back in the run for introductions?

Of course it's okay to hop on. I'd love to know the answer to that as well, from anyone who can provide it.