Best Integration Methods?

[Table4Six]

Lest anyone get confused or mislead:
True quarantine is not any part of integration...
...quarantine should happen out of sight and far away from main flock.

Thank you for the clarification, I definitely understand the difference.

 

[aart]

Thank you for the clarification, I definitely understand the difference.

Good, wasn't aimed at you as the OP in particular,
but for others reading along who may not know.

 

[Table4Six]

Can you split your coop and run for look no touch?
Are you at all concerned with quarantine to reduce chance of pests and disease transmission?

Here's my notes, use 'em if they help.
Best of cLuck!!

Consider biological/medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
BYC 'quarantine' search

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.

This used to be a better search, new format has reduced it's efficacy, but still:
Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, BUT some info is outdated IMO:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

Great info, thank you so much!

 

[kwhites634]

I will be picking up two four month old black LF Cochin pullets the day after tomorrow. What are the best methods of integration? Is the "see, but don't touch" method reliable? Does it work well? Or are there better options out there. Any advice is much appreciated.

The 1st time I had to integrate, I'd had the newcomer, a rooster, in quaranteen for two weeks, in sight of the six hens. When I tured him with them, it took him about 10 seconds to breed one; no problems ever.
The 2nd time, the newcomers were a pair I'd hatched in an icubator & kept in an adjoinig run, by themselves, 'til they were about the same size as the others. No major problems once they were all together.
The last time, I let a broody hen do everything. No integration at all, even with the rooster in the same coop/run. Definitely the way to go, IMO!

 

[Mrs. K]

Just for clarification, if the birds can see each other, that is a separation not a quarantine.

A rooster as a single bird into a flock without roosters, IS the easiest integration.

A broody hen is worth her weight in gold, chicks brought into the flock by a broody hen is the way to go.

Even without a broody hen, I am getting my chicks into the flock by 3 weeks. The earlier the better. I do have a safety zone, where the chicks can escape to, and the hens can't follow. Works pretty slick, but not quite as nice as a broody hen.

There is also a very big difference int the ratio 18:2, verses 3:2.

As Part say - there is a difference between integration and quarantine. If you don't do a quarantine correctly, you are not doing a quarantine. It is not a kind of, sort of game.

Mrs K

 

[Gray Farms]

I quarantine any new birds for roughly 30 days. Then I just put them straight in. Sometimes they fight, sometimes they don't.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Apart from what everyone says, breed matters. In my experience, Lohman Brown (a type of red sex links) are the worst bullies.

Cochin LF are supposedly very mellow, so I would be worried that they'd be bullied if the other chickens are of other breeds that aren't said to be as mellow. So I would integrate carefully.

The 1st time I had to integrate, I'd had the newcomer, a rooster, in quaranteen for two weeks, in sight of the six hens. When I tured him with them, it took him about 10 seconds to breed one; no problems ever.

I would not bother using the "see, don't touch" method if I were to integrate a rooster into an all-hen flock. It seems redundant. Quarantine is good, though.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I do what I call “Drop Integration” where I just add the new bird or birds to the flock and let them work it out. It’s worked just fine for me and I’ve done it with 4 birds all added separately. Even with a look no touch integration the birds will squabble when they are physically together. It takes about 2 weeks for the flock to accept the newcomer.
The birds that I have drop integrated were all 5+ months of age. I wouldn’t integrate any bird under 3 months of age with this method.

 

[WindingRoad]

I do what I call “Drop Integration” where I just add the new bird or birds to the flock and let them work it out. It’s worked just fine for me and I’ve done it with 4 birds all added separately. Even with a look no touch integration the birds will squabble when they are physically together. It takes about 2 weeks for the flock to accept the newcomer.
The birds that I have drop integrated were all 5+ months of age. I wouldn’t integrate any bird under 3 months of age with this method.

That's how I did. I had a BO and ISAB. About 18 months old. Grew up together. Got along fine. No pecking order. And I put my 2 SLW right in with them. My ISAB became the head chicken. And still is. She is slowly getting better. And the 2 SLW just stay out of her way. I check crops every night and my 2 SLW always have full crops. IDK.

 

[WindingRoad]

That's how I did. I had a BO and ISAB. About 18 months old. Grew up together. Got along fine. No pecking order. And I put my 2 SLW right in with them. My ISAB became the head chicken. And still is. She is slowly getting better. And the 2 SLW just stay out of her way. I check crops every night and my 2 SLW always have full crops. IDK.

OMG.