Can I let two flocks free range together?

[CrazyChickLady64]

Hello all I have a flock with 13 hens and a Cockerel hens are almost 1 year old cockerel is 14 weeks old. I am starting a new flock with 5 hens for now and a cockerel 9 and 5 weeks. When the younger ones are bigger can I allow them to free range together. Do I need to worry about my roos/hens fighting? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[sourland]

There will very likely be some skirmishing especially on the part of the cockerels. Given enough space to avoid one another they should work things out.

 

[aart]

Why 2 flocks?
If it's for breeding a specific cross or pure breed, best to keep them separate always.
Free range each flock on alternate days.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hello all I have a flock with 13 hens and a Cockerel hens are almost 1 year old cockerel is 14 weeks old. I am starting a new flock with 5 hens for now and a cockerel 9 and 5 weeks. When the younger ones are bigger can I allow them to free range together. Do I need to worry about my roos/hens fighting? Any advice would be appreciated.

A few months ago we joined our five-month-olds, 2 roosters and 5 hens to our old ones, one roo and 6 hens. They had their spats but the border collie breaks them up. Now occasionally they all free-range together, and sometimes they each have a few hens off doing their own thing.

The worst time of day is in the morning when they come out of the coop and the roosters are h()rney. After that, it's usually pretty good.

 

[Yardmom]

Young birds including cockerels can be put together. If you have breeding goals ect. That you want to keep them separate that is also possible. Given enough space two flocks can free range and establish territories and then stay in their own space.

I have 2 flocks that free range at the same time. I and the birds know where the territory lines are. Space is a key to making it work.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I started with a few chickens, then chicken math happened, and of course some chicks grew up to be roosters. The bachelor coop was ok but I wanted every Roo to have some hens of his own, so a 10x20 coop became a 5 section coop with a big predator proof run also partitioned accordinly. So...when I 1st let them out to free range, I did so in groups & started with groups already furthest apart, not right next door to eachother, so they kinda ranged in their own directions instead of trying to all flock up. I was out there gardening with them, so I saw what went on, & who got along, & who was ornery. For the most part, each group stuck together, pecking & scratching for bugs, making their way around. A few did run over to the other group, but if there was a squabble with hens, most times the hens would quickly run back to their own groups. If a pair of Roos got into a squabble, I'd intervene, scooping up 1 Roo while using my leg & foot to shoo the other towards his own group, and just kinda wave the groups away from eachother. I'd just wave arms, no mealworms or treats, because if you go tossing treats to a certain group to entice them to go a certain direction...All Groups Will Come Running...then ya have a real free-for-all brawl, so don't use treats. My flock knows my waving arms, I use that every night to shoo them into the coop, so they know they're being shoo'd, to the direction I shoo them. At first I had to use snow sticks, til they got the hang of what arm shooing is. I also have 3 coops now, so it is funny letting them all out now. After several times of free ranging, all 13 of my separate groups can be out at the same time now, without any issues. Last year, Only 1 young Roo would like to stir up trouble, so if he did that, I'd wave him & his group back into their pen. They quickly learned, if you raise a rucus, you're going to get a time out with no free ranging. He is now a congenial Roo. They are pretty smart if you just show them what the deal is. Of course, some Roos may enjoy showing off their kicking spur abilities too much, & in that case, you'd have to range that group by themselves. My 1 Barred Rock was like that, so in his spunky youth, he could only range alone with his own hens. As he got older, he chilled out, so at about 3 yrs of age, he could free range at the same time as everyone else, he just took his group the furthest from everyone else, pecking around outbuildings & giving the other groups stink-eye. You may have some birds that are just not peaceful personality-wise, so you just have to see who is who, & range them accordingly. Hope this helps.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

You can, but if you do, you're going to get chicks with parents from both flocks if the males can get to all the hens later on. I have 4 flocks that all are loose at the same time, amd of those, 3 intermingle constantly and act as 1 flock until its time that they go to their own flocks roosting areas. The 4th only doesn't because they're much further away amd don't wander close to the other 3.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

My experience is that if you're going to integrate, free-ranging together is way easier than in a run. Especially the integration of littles with bigs, so I think they'd be fine. But for sure the advice to first consider the breeding is good. I don't want mixes so those eggs don't get to mature.....

 

[CrazyChickLady64]

I started with a few chickens, then chicken math happened, and of course some chicks grew up to be roosters. The bachelor coop was ok but I wanted every Roo to have some hens of his own, so a 10x20 coop became a 5 section coop with a big predator proof run also partitioned accordinly. So...when I 1st let them out to free range, I did so in groups & started with groups already furthest apart, not right next door to eachother, so they kinda ranged in their own directions instead of trying to all flock up. I was out there gardening with them, so I saw what went on, & who got along, & who was ornery. For the most part, each group stuck together, pecking & scratching for bugs, making their way around. A few did run over to the other group, but if there was a squabble with hens, most times the hens would quickly run back to their own groups. If a pair of Roos got into a squabble, I'd intervene, scooping up 1 Roo while using my leg & foot to shoo the other towards his own group, and just kinda wave the groups away from eachother. I'd just wave arms, no mealworms or treats, because if you go tossing treats to a certain group to entice them to go a certain direction...All Groups Will Come Running...then ya have a real free-for-all brawl, so don't use treats. My flock knows my waving arms, I use that every night to shoo them into the coop, so they know they're being shoo'd, to the direction I shoo them. At first I had to use snow sticks, til they got the hang of what arm shooing is. I also have 3 coops now, so it is funny letting them all out now. After several times of free ranging, all 13 of my separate groups can be out at the same time now, without any issues. Last year, Only 1 young Roo would like to stir up trouble, so if he did that, I'd wave him & his group back into their pen. They quickly learned, if you raise a rucus, you're going to get a time out with no free ranging. He is now a congenial Roo. They are pretty smart if you just show them what the deal is. Of course, some Roos may enjoy showing off their kicking spur abilities too much, & in that case, you'd have to range that group by themselves. My 1 Barred Rock was like that, so in his spunky youth, he could only range alone with his own hens. As he got older, he chilled out, so at about 3 yrs of age, he could free range at the same time as everyone else, he just took his group the furthest from everyone else, pecking around outbuildings & giving the other groups stink-eye. You may have some birds that are just not peaceful personality-wise, so you just have to see who is who, & range them accordingly. Hope this helps.

Yes, thank you, this was very helpful. I use a fly swatter to shoo my birds when they get ugly with each other. Lol they see it and they know to go on and behave.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I keep two separate flocks that can free range in the same areas. One flock is all bantams and the other a mix of large fowl and Bantam. Occasionally the roosters get into it. Occasionally a rooster tries to join the other flock. Sometimes hens lay in each other's coop. Sometimes hens decide to go live with the other flock. Usually it's a Bantam hen going into my bigger shed and deciding to stay there. It works if you don't mind some swapping, and an occasional fight.