Chicken Integration

[ChickenGirl22]

We have a bit of an age range in our newest additions at the moment (all about two months old) and we want to put them in with our older chickens. One of the babies recently started crowing and we have another rooster in our flock already. If we put them all together will the small roo and the bigger roo fight? Is it safe to put them in together yet? What is the best way to integrate them? This is our first time combining a younger and an older flock so any tips would be appreciated.

 

[Judy]

You might want to wait til they are all about the same size, but there's really no way to predict what will happen, other than the roos will sort themselves into a dominant one and a secondary one. I'd be sure they had a lot of space for the integration, with places to hide and at least two feeders and waterers that are in different places, and I'd supervise so I could remove it or them if blood is drawn. There will certainly be some pecking, some demonstrating of who is higher or lower in the pecking order, but how bad it gets is anyone's guess.

 

[PheazAnts]

Added my 9 four month old Buff pullets to the already established six month old Barred Rocks. There was definitely some show of who runs the roost and the pen yard but other than that everyone seems to be handling the integration well. I kept the Buffs separate from the Barreds until they caught up in size. Plus there is ample room for everyone. I'm so glad to have them all together now.

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[ChickenGirl22]

We're putting them in together today. Since my roo is a little sick I hope that he is willing to be a little more patient than usual toward the little ones.

 

[Noncentzter]

Whenever I add new ones to the flock, I put them in a dog kennel inside the coop for about 1-2 weeks so they can get used to each other. Then at roosting time I just open the kennel and let everyone out together and it works well...

 

[GuineaMama]

I've always had good luck adding new chickens in with my older ones if I do it at night after everyone has gone to roost. Simply quietly take the new ones in and sit them on the roosts in the dark or with a red light if needed. In the morning everyone wakes up, goes out and no one is the wiser. Chickens can't count, so they are less aware of the newbies that way.

 

[debid]

IMO, they're too young to throw in with a full-grown flock. I'd suggest a grow-out pen next to the existing structure so they can get to know each other without being in direct contact for several more weeks.

I also want to say that roosters especially are unpredictable. He might decide that the newbies are a threat and it's his job to eliminate the threat.

I've always had good luck adding new chickens in with my older ones if I do it at night after everyone has gone to roost. Simply quietly take the new ones in and sit them on the roosts in the dark or with a red light if needed. In the morning everyone wakes up, goes out and no one is the wiser. Chickens can't count, so they are less aware of the newbies that way.

I've read this a few times in different places so I tried the old sneak them in at night trick with three POL pullets. The interlopers were identified at dawn and all he** broke loose

They absolutely knew. So, I'll never do that again -- it's through-the-fence, slow introductions from now on for me.

 

[ChickenGirl22]

I'm so sorry about your chickens. Some flocks do not do well with newbies at all. I've heard lots of horror stories about that kind of thing. My girls are pretty good with newbies and the rooster is being taken out of the pen and started on a course of antibiotics tomorrow. They've all grown up next to each other and I let them out of their usual pens to free-range together. I hope that's enough of an introduction for now. I can't wait any longer because school starts next week and I won't be around to supervise the intro. They've all grown to be about the same size so I'm hoping that will be in their favour.