combining flock

[kyrose]

hello,ive got a divider fence in my coop dividing my standards fom my bantams because ihad a very large roo.the roo has been rehomed so i would love to combine my flock.they dont really pay an attention to eachother in the coop and their runs are on opposite sides of the coop so they dont see eachother there.any ideas how to introduce?there is about 50 chickens so it would be hard to get them seperated and back where they belong if things get out of hand.thanks for an advice...

 

[rainbowgardens]

My hens are free-range so it was easy for them to get aquainted. The newbies are in a chicken tractor and the big girls in the coop. As I let the chicklettes out a little more each day they check each other out and they soon start ranging together. As the summer progresses into fall and some of the older hens go off to freezer camp, I start carrying the young ones into the coop after dark. They wake up in the big coop and eventually accept it as home. I'm busy at bedtime for a few weeks as I train them to go into the coop. Eventually they get the hang of it when they find the chicken tractor closed. The young ones usually hang out outside the coop at bedtime until the big girls pick out their spots for the night. Then they feel it's safe to go in and take the spots that are left.

It seems like it would be more difficult with confined birds.

 

[Guitartists]

Maybe consider introducing one standard hen into the bantam side every day or so until all have been accepted. Add them at night when everyone is settling down so they can wake up together. That's what I would do.

 

[kyrose]

thank you for responding.i let them all out together in the yard and it wasnt to bad...im gonna keep doing that for a few days and see how it goes..