Flock Integration?

[Phantom_k9]

Hello!
Currently, we have about four generations (technically 6) of birds in our coop; the forth being the ones we are trying to introduce. Over time, we have bought new birds, and been given new birds; but I don't feel that any have properly "integrated". I could be wrong, but I'm not sure.

When it comes time to roost, the coop gets divided. Our RIR Hen and our oldest Roo take one side for themselves (believe me, the others need a wall between them and our "flock queen"), our oldest hen sits alone on her own perch (she gets bullied pretty bad from the other hen, so we moved her to the other side), the younger "three amigos" sit together, the two we hatched sit together on the rafters, and our two youngest chicks stay in a cage together.

During a normal day, the flock will either stay together, or split into two groups; the oldest gen and the youngest gen, with the middle group moving from one to another. When it came time to start to acclimate young birds to coop life, and to the other members of their "dysfunctional" family, we put them in a cage inside the coop for several weeks, so that the others can get used to seeing them and vice versa, all while the new birds grow. When the young birds get to the point in which we feel they are big enough to either defend themselves or run, then we let them start to free-range with the others. Oddly enough, our RIR is several months younger than our original flock, and our Polish Roo is younger than her, yet they integrated perfectly with our old flock...

Everyone seems to get that they are apart of a "flock", but they still tend to be divided. So I'm asking about how to properly integrate birds into the flock. Have we been doing it right?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

I'll list the generations;
Gen 1.0: Our oldest, green-egg laying, 17 month old unknown hen [Gen 1.1: Our RIR Hen. Gen 1.2: Our Polish Roo]
Gen 2: Three Americana's, one definite roo, two we're waiting on.
Gen 3: Two (now one) barn yard mixes we hatched
Gen 4: A Silver Wyandotte and a Black Austerlorp pullet, both about 1-2 months old.

 

[CluckerFamily]

This is completely normal! When I integrate, I do a see but no touch.

 

[rosemarythyme]

They sound fine with their little subflocks. Think of it this way...

Imagine someone going to work at a new place, and they're starting at the same time as a few other new people. That gives them something in common, and they might be a little friendlier or closer to those people.

Now some people are more sociable and get along with everyone so they might be friendly with almost everyone in the company, regardless of what department they're in or how long theyv'e been there.

Then you have the grumpier, leave-me-alone types - yes they show up and do the job, but if you ask them to socialize, frankly, they'd rather close their office door.

 

[aart]

Have we been doing it right?

As long as everyone gets to eat and drink and there are no bloody pecking beatings,
sounds good to me.
You don't give the ages of the middle groups, which might be interesting to know.
They won't become one flock until all are laying.

 

[Phantom_k9]

Gen 2 is about 5 months old. One is a definite roo, the other two haven't crowed or laid (they haven't showed signs of being a roo either tho). The last of gen 3 is 4 months old, but she has a cross beak, wrye tail, and just lost her egg brother two days ago...
Gen 4 is only a month old.

 

[Phantom_k9]

They sound fine with their little subflocks. Think of it this way...

Imagine someone going to work at a new place, and they're starting at the same time as a few other new people. That gives them something in common, and they might be a little friendlier or closer to those people.

Now some people are more sociable and get along with everyone so they might be friendly with almost everyone in the company, regardless of what department they're in or how long theyv'e been there.

Then you have the grumpier, leave-me-alone types - yes they show up and do the job, but if you ask them to socialize, frankly, they'd rather close their office door.

Thats sorta what I have assumed. I just have the images of a big happy flock moving together as one unit, rather than a bunch of groups that occasionally move together.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thats sorta what I have assumed. I just have the images of a big happy flock moving together as one unit, rather than a bunch of groups that occasionally move together.

Mine look more like a bunch of 1st graders on a field trip to a museum, if you were to let them loose. Clumps of 2 or 3 wandering off together. Makes it super fun trying to get them all to go in one general direction.