At what age do you put your pullets in with your big girls?

[mstricer]

I always wait until the pullets are 19 weeks. They will still be less mature, thus at a disadvantage. They'll get pecked on and chicken politics can be brutal. I want the younger girls to be full sized and not just cower and take all the pounding.

I introduce, through a divider of netting for a week or two. Then, co mingle during outside time. In spite of all this, there MUST be the establishment of the pecking order. Nothing we can do can take this away. Things tend to calm down after a week. Keep an eye out, though. Some younger members just seem too passive and some of the older birds can just be witches.

What do you do with them for nineteen weeks? That's probably why they get beat up so bad. I think they get accepted a lot faster and easier the younger you introduce them, I guess it's just me. I've never had them pounded on at all. Sure the bigger girls eat some of their food, but they figure it out pretty fast

 

[kathyinmo]

5 months old is the earliest I add young ones in with older ones. Size is one thing. Another is health issues. I don't want my young birds exposed to the older ones until they have more immunity built up.

 

[Fred's Hens]

What do you do with them for nineteen weeks? That's probably why they get beat up so bad. I think they get accepted a lot faster and easier the younger you introduce them, I guess it's just me. I've never had them pounded on at all. Sure the bigger girls eat some of their food, but they figure it out pretty fast

Michele, It is a bit more complicated, as we have chickens of various ages. From chicks to pullets to hens. This isn't just one, backyard kind of flock, but rather two, sometimes three flocks of a dozen birds each. Different breeds as well, no bantams, but large fowl RIR, BR, RSL, BSL, ISAs etc. I also brood chicks here. We also breed in Kentucky. I take breeding stock down in early spring. I bring back young, near POL pullets in fall. So, there is just this comings and goings. Our barn has the potential for 6 pens, of 8x10 each in size.

I only integrate once a year, for a particular, winter layers flock. I make up a flock of 20 layers for the winter season. Most will be first year pullets, but there is almost always some hold over, year old hens.
The integration just is what it is and it isn't all nice and fuzzy.

But, it works out.

 

[mstricer]

Michele,  It is a bit more complicated, as we have chickens of various ages.  From chicks to pullets to hens.  This isn't just one, backyard kind of flock, but rather two, sometimes three flocks of a dozen birds each.  Different breeds as well, no bantams, but large fowl RIR, BR, RSL, BSL, ISAs etc.   I also brood chicks here.  We also breed in Kentucky.  I take breeding stock down in early spring.  I bring back young, near POL pullets in fall.  So, there is just this comings and goings.   Our barn has the potential for 6 pens, of 8x10 each in size.    

I only integrate once a year, for a particular, winter layers flock. I make up a flock of 20 layers for the winter season. Most will be first year pullets, but there is almost always some hold over, year old hens.  
The integration just is what it is and it isn't all nice and fuzzy.      But, it works out.  

I can't wait to build our barn. I also have different groups. The younger ones will go in layer house until they are seperated by breed. I have mostly D'Uccle's that I'm breeding. They all have their own houses. I have Marans and EE's mostly in the layer coop, except for the 4 D'Uccles that decided they liked the bigger coop better, their house still remains empty. I had a D'Uccle that always watched over the little ones and would actually chase others away when they got near them. He sadly got taken by a hawk, while I was on the other side of the yard.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

If we have broody-raised clutches, they can be hatched in the coop and remain there, or segregated with mamahen in a fenced-off subdivision witha minicoop. It depends on what we have available and what the hen wants to do. The clutches that we incubate inside are kept in a brooder for 4 weeks or so and then in one of the subdivisions so they always see the other flock. When we let them out to freerange, the groups keep to themselves and usually go back to their own coops to sleep. Last summer we had 4-5 different hatches mixed in by the end of year. We can tell maturity because by the time the pullets are POL, they are sleeping in the main coop on their own and are accepted members.

 

[minichic]

Is there a problem adding young pullets to an existing flock when the two groups obviously are eating different types of food (layer vs grower)? I would think they would need to be kept separate until all are on layer. I'm new at this and will be raising a new group of pullets that will need to be integrated with the big girls by fall.

 

[Ole rooster]

Mine were with the big girls from the start. Hatched in the coop and outside by age 3 weeks. They on their own now as mama has cut the apron strings. Today they are 10 weeks. They go in the coop with the grownups, but I do have a roost I put up for them so they don't have to mix at night. That's when mine get a little nasty.

 

[gryeyes]

I feed everybody "All Flock" from Nutrena. I do not use layer feed, but keep a separate bowl with crushed oyster shell and/or crushed eggs shells in it, free choice. The layers take what they need, if any, and the others just taste it now and then.

 

[PtldChick]

Once mine are feathered and old enough to go outside, they're all in together. I only have one run, so that solves that. It's very large, with lots of hiding places. Yep, the young ones get chased and pecked some, but as mentioned that's just gonna happen. No blood, no foul. They learn quick to get out of the old girls' way and show the proper respect.

x2 - key phrase - It's very large with lots of hiding places.

Mine start their outside journey in the coop where they can run under the cages for protection. But usually the big girls just want to to show them whose boss and don't chase them around just to harass them. They have other more important things on their mind...like food.

 

[galanie]

Once mine are feathered and old enough to go outside, they're all in together. I only have one run, so that solves that. It's very large, with lots of hiding places. Yep, the young ones get chased and pecked some, but as mentioned that's just gonna happen. No blood, no foul. They learn quick to get out of the old girls' way and show the proper respect.

x2 - key phrase - It's very large with lots of hiding places.

Mine start their outside journey in the coop where they can run under the cages for protection. But usually the big girls just want to to show them whose boss and don't chase them around just to harass them. They have other more important things on their mind...like food.

Exactly. It's the younger or lower status flock members that harass the smaller ones. But so long as they have ample places to run and hide, it's all good.