Flock Integration

[mrskenmore]

Now this leads me to a question what about a hen that hatches egg's can they join the flock already established if the hen is part of the flock to begin with?

I think when you have a momma hen that hatches eggs, she protects the little ones until they are old enough to integrate

 

[PD-Riverman]

Now this leads me to a question what about a hen that hatches egg's can they join the flock already established if the hen is part of the flock to begin with?

Sometimes----according to the chickens?? The last broody I had with the flock---the hens killed most of her chicks and picked her skull clean from the top of the eye all the way over to the top of the other eye. All skull. She was trying to protect her chicks and as with the Post above-----that never happens on my place any more.

 

[mrskenmore]

wow you have some mean chickens... no wonder you sell them after 2 years lol!

 

[mrskenmore]

Keep trying! we have successfully doubled our 3 hen flock, although we had blood drawn frequently on one of them, they are even past that.

Thank you! I will- I think slow and steady and lots of room to roam/run/jump hide is the key to success here!

 

[PD-Riverman]

wow you have some mean chickens... no wonder you sell them after 2 years lol!

I think you are right---they are mean---usually Rhode Island red----I think that's a mean bully breed. But that has nothing to do with selling them----I sell them so I can keep young laying hens, less sickness, less death, and better egg production as well as a decent price for the 2+ year olds. Like I said above----if I got 100 layers say---and want to add 100 more young ones---once the young ones start laying good and the 2 year olds one are sold, I still got 100 instead of 200---Plus some decent cash for the 2 year olds.

 

[Mrs. K]

To the op, I think you might have a territorial situation going on. In all of your birds minds, this is mine, and that is yours and you should stay there. So try flipping them. Try putting the old gals where the young gals are, and the young gals where the olds ones are. If nests are a problem, just stick a temporary one in the set up. They will go back to laying where they are suppose to.

This will allow them to see the birds, where they have not been allowed before. Then if you are still having problems, you might split them, one old with one new.

I think you need to break up the click... but really, I think that you have way more patience than I do. Make sure there are hide outs in the run, roosts in the run are also good, places where birds can get out of site from each other. All help birds manage chicken society.

Mrs K

 

[mrskenmore]

Thanks Mrs K- That is some great advice, I do notice that every time the little girls go in the big girls coop area the big girls are not happy. I think it is a challenging situation as the big girls were 3 with a great flock leader who died from EYP in April, so then the two had to re-establish their pecking order, then a similar thing happened to the little girls there were 3 and then the flock leader turned out to be a rooster, so they had to re-establish their pecking order. So now two months later I am trying to integrate them all over again! I can say that the new flock leader is much more tolerant of the little girls than the number 2 hen, and I am thinking that is because the number two hen has more to lose (in order to protect her spot as number 2). I will definitely work on switching it up and having the little girls up front and the big girls in the back this weekend. Thanks! I did make great progress yesterday, only one minor scuffle and at the end of the evening the flock leader was allowing the 2 little girls to eat with her at the feeder. So slow and steady!

 

[aart]

@PD-Riverman you have a totally different operation than most BYCer's.
You don't do integrations, so why advise on it?
You have a lot of good experience with chickens,
but keep the situational context in mind to stay on the thread topic.

 

[PD-Riverman]

@PD-Riverman you have a totally different operation than most BYCer's.
You don't do integrations, so why advise on it?
You have a lot of good experience with chickens,
but keep the situational context in mind to stay on the thread topic.

To help by showing another way---they might have not thought of! To inform newbie's by sharing my experience that chicks "CAN" die, be hurt seriously being put with the flock with hopes we read less horror stories like we ALL read from people that do that(a lot of them). To Help save a chick and a Heart-break! That's Why!

 

[mrskenmore]

Integration Update:

Slow and steady is winning the chicken race with this one! I was able to have the 4 girls together in the same coop for about 3 hours with out any fights. I am hopeful with more time together that they will be living in peace shortly. My husband and I also completed the 132 sq ft out door pen area for them, so now they have several types of secure enclosures that they can hang out in, which I think will make integration much easier. I will continue to keep all posted on the progress. I also swapped the little girls and put them in the big girls area, I had the big girls in the little girls area, I think this really helped break down the coop walls by not saying this is mine- this is mine...