Flock integration-

[feathersaloft]

I have 14 five month old RIRs. A couple are starting to lay, the others are holding on to their puberty as long as possible LOL.
I also have 5 sexlinks, over a year old.
Then add in 2 five month old roosters, Olive eggers, but still submissive to the hens and no crowing.

Now I have a rabbit hutch with 8 Lavender Orpingtons, looks like probably an even mix of pullets and cockerels. These are 6 weeks old now, some are over half the size of the RIR pullets, some are much smaller.
The little Orps have outgrown the rabbit hutch, and I am putting them in a largish dog crate with the bottom tray removed during the day so they can stretch a little and scratch. But they still need more room.

My pen is 20x16 or so, with the coop 5x8. The big birds free range for a few hours each evening, then go back into the pen for dinner time.

I need some ideas to start integrating the little ones. I can probabaly get hubby to add a second door to the coop and divide off a part of it, but enclosing a section of the pen will be difficult.

How long will I probably need to keep them separate?

 

[allpeepedout]

Until you get a second coop built?

 

[aart]

5x8 is way too small for 30 birds imo.

I'd suggest building a large airy coop next to the run, then you can divide the run.
Will give your birds plenty of room to stay healthy and safe,
and the smaller coop can be used when your get your next batch of new birds in the future.



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.

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

 

[ECBW]

The younger the easier to integrate. The year-old will be the most intolerant. If they free range together already, I would put them in the same run and observe. There will be jousts for pecking order but as long as the weaker bird can escape, it is ok.

Not sure about the 6week old. I usually wait till the birds are closer in size.

 

[cochinkeeper]

I hope someone can help me out with a question about letting my sebright rooster free range with my older hens , they have been laying for about 3 weeks now and they get to see him while he's in a time out from the pullets in the run , but I'm a little afraid he's too small to be out with the big girls , and I'm hoping he gets bigger ? Here's a pic of his small size compared to my ladies that free range , is it too early for him to join them ? He's already crowing and trying to mount the pullets

 

[feathersaloft]

The coop I have is 5' x 8', but is predator proof. It is 8' high, with several rows of perches on one side and nestboxes and waterers on the other.
When I first built this coop, about 17 years ago, we had 50 birds in it, along with a run about 5' x 20'.

I figured since the birds have access to a much larger pen now, as well as free ranging during the daytime when someone is home, it would be OK for a few more birds still.
Even when all are in the coop they do not appear crowded.