Best time to start flock integration?

[furrybollocks]

I have three 3 1/2 month old pullets, two EEs and one Welsummer, and two nearly 2 month old pullets, one White Old English bantam, and a black sex link. The younger ones are still much smaller than the older hens, but the older hens are very assertive and chase and peck them when they're around, even in the yard. Right now the smaller ones are staying in the rabbit hutch, and I'm worried about when I should start moving them in together since the bantam will always be much smaller than the others.

 

[judyandrews]

Hi Furry, I have a similar problem. I have three 2 YO Isa Browns and have just been given 4 one month old pullets (of a different unknown breed). They are still quite small and I have been keeping them separate too. I thought I might wait another couple weeks. At the moment they are in a large dog cage to sleep. But during the day I have made a large wired area just for them. Lets hope someone gets back to us soon! Judy.

 

[JanetS]

The best thing to do is put the younger ones in a dog crate or fenced in area of the run/yard. They can meet and greet but nobody gets hurt.
Do this for a least a couple of weeks.

 

[aart]

Here's some notes I've taken on integration that I found to be very helpful.......
......take what applies or might help and ignore the rest.
See if any of them, or the links provided at the bottom, might offer some tips that will assist you in your situation:

Integration of new chickens into flock.

Consider medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
Poultry Biosecurity
BYC 'medical quarantine' search

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. Integrating new birds of equal size works best.

For smaller chicks I used a large wire dog crate right in the coop for the smallers. I removed the crate door and put up a piece of wire fencing over the opening and bent up one corner just enough for the smallers to fit thru but the biggers could not. Feed and water inside the crate for the smallers. Make sure the smallers know how to get in and out of the crate opening before exposing them to the olders. this worked out great for me, by the time the crate was too small for the them to roost in there(about 3 weeks), they had pretty much integrated themselves to the olders.

If you have too many smallers to fit in a crate you can partition off part of the coop with a wire wall and make the same openings for smallers escape.


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 blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down, 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 and/or up and away from any bully birds.

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

Another option if possible is to put all birds in a new coop and run, this takes the territoriality issues away.

Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[furrybollocks]

As an update, I got home late tonight and decided to jump into action before the year started to get busy with school again. With limited resources and a small chicken coop, I decided it would be best to use my rabbit's cheap wire cage to house the chicks during integration and to move my rabbit into her larger outside hutch. Because it was so late, the hens were already roosting and settled in, and the little ones had flown to the top of the coop and roosted there.

I took out all of the old hay from the rabbit hutch and spray the chicken poop off with a water hose, then scrubbed it down once with a paper towel and a second time with diatomaceous earth, then prepped it for my rabbit. For the chicks' new home, I cleaned it out and put a thick blanket of hay over the bottom to keep their feet off of the wire. I refreshed their food and water, and then placed them inside before using twine to tie the cage door to the cage so it wouldn't swing closed. Afterwards I took a piece of black plastic mesh that we had lying around and cut a chick sized hole in the bottom of it. This way the chicks can get in and out when they need to, and the big bullies can't. I used the twin to tie the top and the sides to the cage, but made sure to neglect the bottom so I would be able to flip it up if need be.

With everything ready, I tried to place the cage inside the coop, but the width was too wide! I had completely forgotten about getting into the coop in the first place. I had to take the food and water out and flip the cage sideways so it would fit. It barely has room to sit, but there's enough room for the hens to get out in the mornings and as my little bantam girl proved, there's enough room for the chicks to get out as well. It's going to be hell to clean, but hopefully the process of integration only lasts a couple of weeks. The hens, I'm assuming because it was dark and they were nearly asleep when all of this ruckus started, didn't get up to investigate or peck at the chicks as they normally would, but just clucked disapprovingly and watched as Marilyn zipped around the coop investigating. Hopefully they're still content in the morning!

 

[JanetS]

Let us know how it works out.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have a pen where they are put in for about a week, everyone gets a look, I let them out during the day and pen them at night by themselves for about two months, there is a bit of pecking, but not much, I integrated at about eight weeks while they are still considered kids, older chickens are viewed as intruders, younger ones as just somebody's kids. Not ever had a problem doing it this way.

 

[judyandrews]

I have put my new girls in with the older ones and they are getting on just fine. My only problem is that the young ones are sleeping in the spot I designated for laying. But it doesn't seem to be a problem. I still get eggs, only sometimes I have to look in other places!

 

[furrybollocks]

I'm in the same situation! I'm not sure how to clean it either, because my coop is hard to get into and the place they sleep is covered in poop.

 

[aart]

Don't let them roost(sleep) in the nests.