I have just more than doubled the size of my little flock and am still somewhat in shock as to how well the integration is going at this point. Some background story...
I have an established 'flock' of six....2 cochin, 2 brahma, 1 cream legbar hen and a cream legbar cockerel. They have lived in harmony in a pen measuring around 11 metres x 5 metres with a 12 bird hen house and a 2 metre x 1.5 metre wendy house which they use for shelter/shade.
Last weekend I got six more chickens (I shall call them the youngsters for ease of reference)...2 laying brahma, 2 POL appenzeller spitzhauben, a laying light sussex and a POL barred plymouth rock, which I integrated with each other in our stable, totally separate from the established flock. That went soooo well! Barely a peck or a squabble before a clear pecking order was established, with the light sussex taking 'top spot' with no real stress or bullying.
Yesterday I took in four ex commercial layers (warren/ginger ranger types) 'rescued' from the slaughterhouse by the British Hen Welfare Trust. They came from a free-range set up, rather than a colony/battery set up, so have pretty good feathering, good colour to their combs and wattles, seemingly strong legs and are already happily eating, drinking and foraging about.
I took the youngsters AND the rescues and put them in the main pen which I have divided in half with netting. The established flock can see them all, can go beak to beak, but cannot actually 'get at' them. Again, the integration of the youngsters and the rescues has gone exceptionally well. The rescues have knocked the Sussex from top spot with a few good pecks and a bit of squawking but no real fighting and everyone has settled back down. The rescues are tending to form their own little group and the rest are keeping generally out of their way but they are sharing the space OK, everyone is happy to eat, drink, sunbathe etc. and there is a general sense of calm.
The established flock have watched with interest through the netting but made no attempt to attack or show aggression and have only made any attempt at getting through the net when I was in with the newbies, giving out dried mealworms! When the newbies have approached the netting, there has been some beak to beak exploration but no pecking or fighting.
I am shocked at how smoothly everything has gone and almost feel like there SHOULD be more trouble.
The next step is to integrate everyone, to remove the netting and see what happens but it's that bit I'm unsure of. When I have rescued ex commercial layers in the past, they have been colony birds with barely any feathers, huge flaccid pale combs, weak legs and unable to recognise layers pellets (as opposed to mash) so I have given them several weeks to gain strength and confidence before putting them with other hens and several months before allowing a cockerel near them for fear that their naked bodies would be damaged and their legs hurt by his 'attentions'.
These rescues are in good shape and are already feisty, showing the full gamut of normal hen behaviour but....do I let my established flock, including my boy, in with everyone else or do you think the rescues need more time? What about the cockerel....a fully grown adult CL....being around the youngsters? The sussex and the brahmas are of good size but the plymouth rock and the appenzellers are much smaller than he is. The appenzellers are lightning fast so may well escape any attention he attempts to give them but the rock may not be so lucky.
Sorry for the long-winded post but opinions are most welcome. After ten years of chicken keeping...this is till a new one on me! ;-)
I have an established 'flock' of six....2 cochin, 2 brahma, 1 cream legbar hen and a cream legbar cockerel. They have lived in harmony in a pen measuring around 11 metres x 5 metres with a 12 bird hen house and a 2 metre x 1.5 metre wendy house which they use for shelter/shade.
Last weekend I got six more chickens (I shall call them the youngsters for ease of reference)...2 laying brahma, 2 POL appenzeller spitzhauben, a laying light sussex and a POL barred plymouth rock, which I integrated with each other in our stable, totally separate from the established flock. That went soooo well! Barely a peck or a squabble before a clear pecking order was established, with the light sussex taking 'top spot' with no real stress or bullying.
Yesterday I took in four ex commercial layers (warren/ginger ranger types) 'rescued' from the slaughterhouse by the British Hen Welfare Trust. They came from a free-range set up, rather than a colony/battery set up, so have pretty good feathering, good colour to their combs and wattles, seemingly strong legs and are already happily eating, drinking and foraging about.
I took the youngsters AND the rescues and put them in the main pen which I have divided in half with netting. The established flock can see them all, can go beak to beak, but cannot actually 'get at' them. Again, the integration of the youngsters and the rescues has gone exceptionally well. The rescues have knocked the Sussex from top spot with a few good pecks and a bit of squawking but no real fighting and everyone has settled back down. The rescues are tending to form their own little group and the rest are keeping generally out of their way but they are sharing the space OK, everyone is happy to eat, drink, sunbathe etc. and there is a general sense of calm.
The established flock have watched with interest through the netting but made no attempt to attack or show aggression and have only made any attempt at getting through the net when I was in with the newbies, giving out dried mealworms! When the newbies have approached the netting, there has been some beak to beak exploration but no pecking or fighting.
I am shocked at how smoothly everything has gone and almost feel like there SHOULD be more trouble.
The next step is to integrate everyone, to remove the netting and see what happens but it's that bit I'm unsure of. When I have rescued ex commercial layers in the past, they have been colony birds with barely any feathers, huge flaccid pale combs, weak legs and unable to recognise layers pellets (as opposed to mash) so I have given them several weeks to gain strength and confidence before putting them with other hens and several months before allowing a cockerel near them for fear that their naked bodies would be damaged and their legs hurt by his 'attentions'.
These rescues are in good shape and are already feisty, showing the full gamut of normal hen behaviour but....do I let my established flock, including my boy, in with everyone else or do you think the rescues need more time? What about the cockerel....a fully grown adult CL....being around the youngsters? The sussex and the brahmas are of good size but the plymouth rock and the appenzellers are much smaller than he is. The appenzellers are lightning fast so may well escape any attention he attempts to give them but the rock may not be so lucky.
Sorry for the long-winded post but opinions are most welcome. After ten years of chicken keeping...this is till a new one on me! ;-)