Adding new chickens to the flock.

[Adula62]

Hi, new chicken momma here,
I have a flock of 12 pullets and 1 Roo. They are all 12 weeks old. Yesterday I purchased 2 15 week old barnevelder pullets. I caged them in a wire dog crate inside the run last night. When I got home today from work, I let them out of the crate and into the run with the other chickens. They got pecked and chased a lot so I separated them again. How long until I can let them be free in their new home? Any introduction tips for chickens? Thank you in advance!

 

[ChickNanny13]

The wire cage in the run is the way to do it, leave the newbies with food & water in the cage, in the run for at least a week but sometimes takes longer. This way the flock gets to check them out without hurting them. Age/size they're close but still the newbies are "intruders" that the originals need to get used to. No matter there will be pecking and chasing, all part of the pecking order being instilled.

The next time you try letting the newbies intermingle, do it when you don't have to work the next day ... Put the newbies on the roost together at night (when dark) with the rest, chickens are "zombies" at night, they'll wake up in the morning and may not notice the newbies. Check on them first thing and hopefully all went well.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Plan on 1-2 weeks of see but no touch to start, before attempting to let them actually mingle together. Having multiple feeders and clutter for hiding spots will help as well: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

Shouldn't be too difficult to integrate these, as they're all close in age but still young, but hormones are high with teenagers so that's what's causing issues vs. a younger group of chickens.

 

[aart]

How big is your coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here
Is the run weather and predator proof so they can stay confined there 24/7?

Here's some tips about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[Adula62]

How big is your coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here
Is the run weather and predator proof so they can stay confined there 24/7?

Here's some tips about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

Our run is 22 feet long and 8 feet wide. Chicken coop is 8 feet wide by 6 feet long and 6 feet high (to the peak).

 

[3KillerBs]

Our run is 22 feet long and 8 feet wide. Chicken coop is 8 feet wide by 6 feet long and 6 feet high (to the peak).

Here are some useful articles on integration:

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/

You need some "clutter" in that big, open rectangle. Places where chickens can hide from other chickens, places where they can get up out of the way of other chickens, areas where they can move to a respectful distance from chickens higher up in the pecking order, etc.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

This is my pen where I have adult hens, POL pullets, and growing chicks. I have 4 waterers and 3 feeders set up so that birds can eat and drink out of sight of other birds so that a dominant bird can't guard the feed/water and prevent the lower-status birds from eating and drinking.

There is no place inside the pen where I can see the entire thing despite me being MUCH taller than a chicken.

What you can see is 3 coops, a feeder/waterer shelter, a broody breaker left set up even though there's no broody in it, perches on top of the broody breaker and the temporary coop, a pallet on blocks, a couple other visual shelters, a perch between the feeder/waterer shelter and the pallet that's leaning against the shade pavilion leg, and my chair -- which I leave upside down so that it's poop-free when I want to sit on it.