Having a nightmare integrating!

[kellysmall87]

Hello all and a good morning from the UK.

I have had a hyline and four Gold laced wyandottes (crossed with D'uccle I think) for about three months. They are about four months old, with the hyline being about 7 months old. Three of these are hens and two cockerels. I bought two silkie chicks (hens I am 90% sure) a month ago. The silkie chicks are around two months old.

I have kept the chicks and the the rest of the flock separate, but in runs that are next to each other. Very close together in fact, with only wire parting the chickens. They have been like this for two months. I have tried integrating them sooner but the older chickens attacked the silkies. So I have waited. Now I integrate them daily but they still fight. The older chickens chase the chicks and feathers fly everywhere. When this happens, I get the older chickens attention by chucking out some food which distracts them. They have access to the whole garden, bushes, plants, grass, bark chips etc so they never get bored.

Is there anything else I can do to stop them fighting?
Is it the gold laced breed that's agressive? They're not aggressive to humans.
Will it get worse if I wait until the silkies are adults before integrating again?
Shall I just put up with the bouts of fighting?

Any advice appreciated. I have two other chicks in the brooder, a couple weeks old. It will be handy for me to learn more about integrating before I release them into the "wild" of the flock, also.

Kelly.

 

[Caperose]

I can't wait to read the replies to your post. I am having the same problem: I have fourteen 15 week old Buff Orpington and Plymouth Rock Barred chicks. One rooster in the bunch. Two Easter Eggers - 10 weeks old were purchased a month ago, along with two Polish Hens which I bought at the same time as two day old chicks. Hopefully pullets. Anyway, the two EE are in the coop at night in a large dog crate with the big girls, but I am not able to integrate them into the flock during the day into the run. They have been free ranging in the backyard and doing fine. Last night I locked the door to the crate and everyone settled down fine. This morning the two EE were hiding between the crate and the wall, where the big girls couldn't get them. I put them into the run with the rest of the flock, they were being chased and pecked so I rescued them and they are outside the run, again. Help! I need to learn how to integrate the EE, so I know what I am doing when the Polish girls are ready to join the flock. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[terryg]

It is very hard to integrate silkies into a flock of hens, especially into a group of big and active Wyandottes. Silkies don't act like or look like normal hens, and the big girls notice that and will be aggressive. You also have too many cockerels for the number of hens. You will have better luck integrating everyone when all are fully mature. You're doing the right thing having them see each other first. Can you let them free-range when they meet? The more space the better. Also, provide many distractions, like melon halves. Chickens often forget their squabbles when there is plenty of food in front of them (food they have to work for, not grain.) I have more ideas here: http://hencam.com/faq/pecking-order/

 

[audrey02026]

I've always had really good luck doing as you are now and also letting them free range together as they have lots of places to get away and when they get full grown they are usually so used to each other that they get along just fine.

 

[kellysmall87]

Hi All, Thank you for your replies!
I do let them free range together, still to no avail. It is an interesting point about silkies not looking like chickens, that's maybe why they're not getting on. Maybe I'll just have two separate flocks then, or try again when they're all fully grown.

I know yeah, I have a rooster too many. But I'm a sucker for saving an animal, and these two roosters were going to get their necks broken if I didn't take them for free from a breeder. I love roosters the best - they're beautiful. But I realise the implications of having an improper hen to rooster ratio. Hopefully it will be 7 hens to 2 roosters, but that will be a bit much still. I am planning, if the hens get over mated, to segregate the roosters in their own little coop and run. I heard roosters can live together peacefully with no females around, I have heard of a woman who only has 7 roosters on her land, no hens.

If one, or both, of the chicks in the brooder become roosters too then they will join the bachelor pad.

Thanks all, I may wait til they are all adults and try again.

Kelly.