help introducing chicken to my coop

[staceymw]

I was wondering what the best way to introduce new chickens to my flock. I just got two more chicks that are leghorns and a rescue chicken. I want to add my new chickens to our coop but our older chickens are picking on them.
I have 7 road island red hybrids, 2 easter egger, whattone,and Cornish hen hybrid

 

[IdahoPrepper]

I was wondering what the best way to introduce new chickens to my flock. I just got two more chicks that are leghorns and a rescue chicken. I want to add my new chickens to our coop but our older chickens are picking on them.
I have 7 road island red hybrids, 2 easter egger, whattone,and Cornish hen hybrid

Stuck mine in the same run with a wire fence splitting the run into 2 halves. The birds would look at each other but couldnt fight. After 4 days I put them together. One little pecking order tiff and it was good from then on.

 

[staceymw]

Stuck mine in the same run with a wire fence splitting the run into 2 halves. The birds would look at each other but couldnt fight. After 4 days I put them together. One little pecking order tiff and it was good from then on.

Thank you.

My reds and rooster are not allowing my new hen to join the flock. My rooster and flock has been raised together and now wont allow new additions.i want more hens but not sure how to get them to expect them

 

[IdahoPrepper]

You cant just stick them together they will fight. Chickens can remember 200 other chicken faces so having the fence dividing them allows them to "remember" them as a face they know and someone that is friendly (not being attacked). I would say 4-5 days apart as that is what worked for me with a new rooster.

 

[aart]

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

 

[staceymw]

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

Very helpful Thank u everyone.