Done integrating for winter

[Buster]

Today I mixed the last of my chickens back together. Diesel (my black orp rooster) and his hens were opened up to the rest of the flock. The hens actually had a harder time mixing in than the roosters did. The head rooster in charge is a Buff Orp and he buffaloed Diesel quickly despite weighing 5 pounds less. I was watching carefully to make sure there were no extremely violent actions but it went quite well. I think one reason I have had good luck integrating everyone is because each group has it's own space it can retreat to while they are acclimating to each other. Now I have a lot less feeders and waterers to worry about all winter. I needed Diesel's pen available because I plan on putting quail in there soon.

 

[Crazy_For_Chickens]

Congrats!!!

 

[cmom]

Congratulations on a good integration of your birds.

I'm in the process now too. I haven't integrated them yet but their runs are side by side with a common fence between them and coops. I'm waiting for a couple of more weeks before I put them together. I do have a picture on my BYC Page. In the spring I'm planning on building a new and much larger coop for everyone. But will still have the two smaller coops and runs for quarentine. I am getting all the info I can before I build. I have discovered things already with my two older coops that if I could do them over again things I would change. I love this web site and all of the people.

 

[Buster]

I would recommend leaving both areas open to the birds as they are integrated. That way they can retreat to familiar territory if they get picked on too much. Leave a way for them to escape the harassment they may encounter.

 

[speckledhen]

Glad it went well for you, Jared. Just just never know what will happen when you integrate birds who have been separated for awhile.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Good integration. Yesterday I seperated all of my breeds so that in a month I can get an early start to hatching. lol

 

[Buster]

Quote:
I know Cyn, I had good luck with all the others so I finally bit the bullet and moved Diesel in. I stood watch to make sure that he and the head roo (Frodo) didn't try to kill each other and it went well. Everyone is intimidated by Frodo- for now.

I am probably lucky because Frodo only sees it necessary to intimidate the competition, not kill them.

 

[speckledhen]

Dutch had the front of his comb bleeding again from sparring with Suede at the fence. The main flock ranges most of every day, so both Dutch and Mace duke it out with Suede all the time. That dang Suede, the TANK, is jumping in the air with his feet. I'm afraid that big guy is going to have a heart attack from the strain! God help them all if he accidentally gets out and I have a rooster free-for-all here. Help their mom, I should say! Hopefully, Frodo and Diesel wont get into it too badly.

 

[Buster]

Well, it would be harder if Diesel was the only challenge for Frodo, but I have Geronimo and the General in there as well. Frodo is over 2 years old and the rest aren't even a year yet so Frodo has them under his thumb. They aren't mature enough to really challenge him and they have been separated from each other most of this year so they don't have a real affinity to each other and don't gang up on Frodo. Basically, Frodo is too busy making the rounds checking to see if any of the other three are romancing his girls to focus on one in particular. There are two banty roosters in there (a d'uccle and a silkie) but I don't think Frodo considers them roosters.

 

[speckledhen]

There are two banty roosters in there (a d'uccle and a silkie) but I don't think Frodo considers them roosters.

LOL, probably not!​