And so it begins... integration

[Lor]

Intro:
Integrating 7 chicks with 4 4yr old hens
Chicks:
7 week olds- 2 buff orpingtons, 1 sapphire gem
6 week olds- 1 buff orpington, 3 gold-laced wyandottes (1 of the wyandottes is a runt, less feathered)

Hens:
2 black sex links (Peep and Monica)
2 barred rocks (Rachael and Phoebe)
No discernable pecking order as none tolerate shenanigans from the others- until chick arrival.
Phoebe at the bottom now.

Chicks have been in a pen inside the enclosed run daily for 3 weeks(?) Walled off inside the coop for almost 2 weeks.

We keep the run door open most of the day so the hens can go out into the other fenced in area (covered in deer netting). They spend most of their time out there.

Cluttered the run as best I could making areas that only the chicks could get through with no areas they could be trapped. Added more food and waterers.
Opened the pen doors (3 of them) enough for chick slip through. Kept a broom in hand.

Monica and Phoebe didn't seem to care one bit.
That's surprising because I have threatened to eat Monica on many occasions. She bites. LOL Chicks even stole some of the grape I gave her and she didn't peck any of them.

Peep pecked a couple of them once and did a slight chase but things seemed ok.

Rachael. Sweet, aloof, Rachael... She's been trying to peck the chicks through the pen since day one. Today she went after one, feet and all. I stepped in. She walked away.
All the chicks decided it was safer back inside their pen. A little while later one of the chicks made an alarm call when Rachael came back into the run.

As long as Rachael was out in the outer run things went ok. Of course, they all spent most of their time in the outer run, as usual, only coming in occasionally.
I hope that over time Rachael accepts them.

Any suggestions? Thoughts?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Sounds like you've done most of all the right stuff.

Watch Rachael closely. She could make it a problem.

You often won't see subtle pecking order until you add new birds.

These littles are little...6 and 8 weeks. They will have to be fleet of foot for awhile. Often pullets don't settle into pecking order until point of lay.

Continue to separate if there are real problems. I often, with crankier older hens, have to wait until 12 weeks of age to integrate as the littles are almost adult size.

Good luck.

LofMc

 

[Lor]

Watch Rachael closely. She could make it a problem.


Continue to separate if there are real problems. I often, with crankier older hens, have to wait until 12 weeks of age to integrate as the littles are almost adult size.

Good luck.

LofMc

I think Rachael is going to be a problem.
I had the chicks out of their pen again, but locked the ladies out. They were not happy. Rachael was still trying to get at them.

I will go slowly, however long it takes, especially since the runt is half the size of the other chicks.

Thank you.

 

[Mrs. K]

Get Rachael some pin-less peepers.

 

[Chicken poppy]

I read this as “interrogation”


sounds pretty good! Watch Raechel though.

 

[Disheygirl]

I integrated some two month olds in with my year olds about a week ago, but they still have a separation period during the day. It’s weird - the girls on the lower half of the current pecking order of eight are the jerks to them, although not anything more than a peck and maybe a feather pulled. No seeking them out or talons-first. The top four couldn’t care less about the newbies.

I don’t have anything constructive to offer, other than good luck! I have cats, dogs, rabbits, and I’ve had horses - with them, there is always a strategy on bonding or acceptance and with chickens it’s like “just make sure they don’t kill each other till they’re all the same size” (unless one has funny hair or gets a wound or some other random thing where they’ll end up at the mercy of the flock anyway…sigh).

 

[3KillerBs]

Rachel is probably at the bottom of the pecking order and trying to protect her place.

A time-out in a dog crate in the run might help -- that's what was recommended to me for a similar situation last year: https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/24694600

 

[Lor]

I'm rethinking my strategy.
The chicks need more room. I'm thinking of penning off along 3 walls of the run. Penned area will be in a U shape. The chicks will have more room to roam, the hens will see them every where but they will be safe. The hens will have the middle of the run and the outdoor area. Just need to figure out how to cover the top.
A pain for me to continue to catch them and put them in the coop at night.

Does this sound like it will work until they are big enough to defend themselves?
(I hope Thistle grows in that time)

 

[Lor]

The 7 hoolighens roosting together.

 

[Lor]

I don’t have anything constructive to offer, other than good luck! I have cats, dogs, rabbits, and I’ve had horses - with them, there is always a strategy on bonding or acceptance and with chickens it’s like “just make sure they don’t kill each other till they’re all the same size” (unless one has funny hair or gets a wound or some other random thing where they’ll end up at the mercy of the flock anyway…sigh).

True! I didn't expect it to be easy but I don't want any of them needing an ER.