Help! Adding adult hens AND chicks to my flock!

[happylittlehens]

Sorry to keep posting threads about this but now things have changed. I am in the process of adding 4 chicks to my adult flock. Now I am also getting 4 adult hens. My parents are getting out of the “backyard chicken business” and rehoming their flock. How do I go about adding adult hens and my chicks??? Should I integrate them together or 1 flock at a time? Thanks for any advice. I’m freaking out a little as this wasn’t the plan.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

If you mean small chicks, as in day old or less than 4 weeks, I personally would not add those to any strange adult flock, yours or your parent's. They likely will be mercilessly hazed from any strange adult hen.

You may want to consider isolating your parent's adult flock to prevent any disease transmission, although backyard isolation is rarely truly adequate as that means out of sight, out of draft, and no transferring pathogens on clothing or boots. But if you can keep them in a pen or shed on the opposite side of your flock's coop, and change at least coat and boots, it can be helpful so you don't transmit parasites or disease.

I then would integrate the adult flocks first, and by then, you will have teen chicks, or at about 6 to 8 weeks of age minimum, 12 weeks preferable. I would then begin transition of the juniors into the main flock.

What you will get is the adults integrating first, and establishing a pecking order.

Then after the babes grow, they will integrate in as a subflock. Give them plenty of areas to hide from the adults as the new pecking order is established, and the flock learns to stop hazing the younger ones so much. Life can be pretty stressful for a younger flock member with a group of adults, depending upon the adult flock's temperament.

My thoughts and experiences,
LofMc

 

[Mrs. K]

I am assuming that you have been to your parents place and looked at, and maybe handled your parent's chickens, and vice versa, they have been to yours. So I think the quarantine is a moot point.

A lot depends on your set up, the age and size of the birds you got and are getting and the age of the chicks. How big is the coop, the run and do you have hide outs, do you have multiple feeders and waterers. Can you set up a safety zone that chicks can escape to, but older birds cannot follow.

Give us some pictures, some dimensions. We will come up with ideas.

 

[happylittlehens]

If you mean small chicks, as in day old or less than 4 weeks

The chicks are about 4 weeks and I have a brooder box in the coop. So they won’t be in direct contact with the adults for awhile. Thanks for all of your insight! I really appreciate it!

 

[happylittlehens]

I am assuming that you have been to your parents place and looked at, and maybe handled your parent's chickens, and vice versa, they have been to yours. So I think the quarantine is a moot point.

A lot depends on your set up, the age and size of the birds you got and are getting and the age of the chicks. How big is the coop, the run and do you have hide outs, do you have multiple feeders and waterers. Can you set up a safety zone that chicks can escape to, but older birds cannot follow.

Give us some pictures, some dimensions. We will come up with ideas.

I have a very large run. About 50’ x 60’ with plenty of hiding places. And we will actually have 2 coops for a while since I will be bringing their coop with them. I’m not too worried about quarantine. We have fed each others animals while out of town, etc. And I know they’re healthy and have been well cared for. As far as breeds, I have 5 year old buffs, leghorns and EE’s. The ones coming in will be about 1 1/2 - 2 year old barred rocks.so they are all roughly the same size. My chickens are very tame and are handled regularly. My parents hens are more ‘wild’ but have been with a rooster for about 6 months. I will not be taking the rooster because of city ordinances. The chicks will be in a brooder in the coop for a few weeks still. I think I’ll try to integrate the adults first while the chicks are in the brooder. I’m kind of hoping to make all the changes at once so there is only 1 stressful period rather than 2. Am I doing this wrong?

 

[happylittlehens]

I then would integrate the adult flocks first, and by then, you will have teen chicks, or at about 6 to 8 weeks of age minimum, 12 weeks preferable. I would then begin transition of the juniors into the main flock.

Will it be too stressful to do 2 integrations in such a short time period?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Will it be too stressful to do 2 integrations in such a short time period?

I'm thinking the stress for the little ones could turn into quite a free for all with 2 adult established flocks pressing each other. The smallest will get hazed from both flocks and hardest by those shifting to the bottom of the new combined flock adult rungs.

Once the adults set their order, then the littlest will merely fit at the bottom of the established order being checked by the alpha and put in place by the lower adults.

Chickens that are hatched within the flock integrate almost seamlessly and I do not bother with separate integration for little ones.

But when purchased as chicks and new familiar adults (which I have done) to be introduced to an established flock, considerations generally have to be made unless you have an extremely laid back original flock and mild tempered new adult flock.

You will be introducing 2 established flocks to each other, one on home turf. I feel they need to work that out before the littlest are also introduced or the littles could get some severe hazing.

Keeping the littlest within vision of the two flocks is excellent to ease later physical transition.

My thoughts
LofMc

 

[happylittlehens]

ou will be introducing 2 established flocks to each other, one on home turf. I feel they need to work that out before the littlest are also introduced or the littles could get some severe hazing.

Very good points! Thank you so much for your help.

 

[aart]

I would keep the 2 adult flocks separated by wire for now.
Split the run with both coops attached.
Start integrating the chicks into your flock now by using tiny doors in brooder.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
Then later you can integrate them all together.

How long has chicks brooder been inside coop?
How many birds in your flock?

More info on the size of your coops(in feet by feet),
and pics of the whole setup,
would help garner more specific suggestions.

 

[happylittlehens]

I would keep the 2 adult flocks separated by wire for now.
Split the run with both coops attached.
Start integrating the chicks into your flock now by using tiny doors in brooder.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
Then later you can integrate them all together.

How long has chicks brooder been inside coop?
How many birds in your flock?

More info on the size of your coops(in feet by feet),
and pics of the whole setup,
would help garner more specific suggestions.

Thanks for the link to the article. That will be very helpful. My main coop is 6' x 8' with 9 hens currently in it. The coop coming with the other adults is 4' x 8'. My run is a fenced in corner of my property, 50' x 60'. I can put the new coop in the opposite corner of the main coop and set up a temporary fence between them to cut the run in half. Then each flock could have their own coop/run area but be able to see each other. Eventually they will all have to live together though. I can get some pictures this evening if that will help.

The brooder has been in the coop for about 2 weeks, but the chicks are not in the brooder full time yet. The coop is still too hot to leave them out there all day. So they are just going out for a few hours in the morning right now. I have 9 adult hens in the flock now and will be adding the 4 chicks and 4 other hens.