How do I integrate in one lone chicken??

[jess924]

My neighbor and I purchased chicks back together in May...unfortunately we both lost one each because of hawks...she was down to 2...I had to cull one that was sickly and not healing adequately...bringing my count to 2....just this week she lost one to an unknown predator...hers free range all day...the body wasn’t taken and found under their deck the following day. As she only has one she is worried bout her accepting other chickens and while looking for others she happened upon some ducklings needing immediate rescue...she is on her way to adopt them now

So, she feels like scully will not take to other ducks and honestly I think she’s just over the chickens anyway after her losses...she wants me to take scully into my “flock”. Scully free ranges, as I mentioned and spends 80% of her day ranging around the perimeter of my run talking to my chickens...I feel like at this point she is neglected although not intentionally, by my neighbors...I have had to feed her and made a nesting box for her as her coop has been literally bare bones without even bedding inside. Here is the chicken breakdown:
Scully- speckled Sussex
Rae- dark Brahma
Gloria- buff Orpington
These three are all same age. Top hers and bottom two mine
Beaker - Black crested Polish
Rocket - Black crested Polish
Foggy- white leghorn
Camilla- Rhode Island white
These bottom 4 are 7.5 weeks. They have been in a small brooder coop attached to large coop and plans were to integrate them with the older two this weekend...

My question is how should I go about integrating scully in. Currently she has free ranged with the babies at times and gets along great with them...Rae is the top of the pecking order and when giving opportunity has chased scully as well as the babies...she is very attached to Gloria and they are inseparable

Should it be a two part process? Scully can’t room in with the babies as she can’t fit in their current door dimensions....was feeling like integrating to the babies then the 5 to the olders might be the less stressful and make sure Rae doesn’t take advantage of her place in the flock. Any suggestions are helpful as I gotta start this sooner than this weekend and feel like maybe might start tomorrow early afternoon ...work nights so after my morning sleep...getting right at it???

 

[jess924]

Also wondering if a good option is to just remove Rae from the mix and integrate everyone else then bring her back? I am trying to figure this out from all angles as I don’t want to hold off getting poor scully back with a group...feel like she’s a predator magnet wandering around the yard alone...leaves are falling and there is less cover the longer I wait which I feel will just increase her potential dimise

 

[jess924]

I let the younger 4 out to spend time with scully and they seem to be getting along well. I then did a day of letting all 7 range together...4 chicks stayed primarily together while my older two stayed together...scully seemed to wander aimlessly between the two groups...she would go into the main coop and roost with the littles and then wander out and follow the two older girls.
Today let the older girls out to spend time with scully and early evening let the littles out to join the group. Staying in the same groups.
Only issue I seem to be having is that Rae and Gloria (older two) are chasing the littles randomly and attempting to corner one between the two of them as well as when scully gets too close they both chase her.
I am very nervous about the process of putting them together overnight in the same coop...when should I attempt this? Should I let them just do day socialization for a few more days? How do I know when best time to room them together...here is the inside of the coop...getting a bit dark out as it’s now 5:30...empty roost is today...others are from differently days

 

[jess924]

Here is what they have been up to..

 

[Grits&Eggs]

it is tough to integrate a single bird - did it last week and they still chase her around. Keeping her separate doesn't seem to work as the original 6 still rule the roost. if they aren't being pecked or bloody you can let them hang and get used to each other. Free range birds can get used to a different routine, the one I just took in had almost and acre and is now in a 12x12 day pen, chunnel system and 6'x12' run attached to the coop and today is just as happy ; but, it looks like you figured it out - good luck!!

 

[jess924]

It’s the overnight that’s worrying me. I don’t know how long to wait till I attempt or just jump in both feet so to speak....separated again tonight but would really like to just get this done...
The younger ones are far more agile so can get to the highest roost in the run....as I evaluated tonight I feel like an extra roost might be Good even higher up??

 

[Grits&Eggs]

Hmmm, they shouldn't bother each other after they roost for the night - I never had that problem. But, the young ones being on the highest roost can cause problems all of their own, the hierarchy is usually in charge birds get the top, rest use bottom. Adding extra roost is a great idea!
FYI - I used a hose to spray them a couple times when they wouldn't stop attacking, and that seemed to help!!

 

[jess924]

so Last few days scully has been left in the shed and I have been letting her outside each day...I don’t really get it but I love the little girl so head next door and let her out as well as feed her...she has been waiting to be let into my coop to roost as she doesn’t have her own roost...tonight she stayed in my run when I had to lock up for the night so seems she’s ready to join us!! I had to put her into the coop myself after Rae and Gloria got onto their roosts...been out few times and although she is coo-ing nervously she is on the bottom rung of the ladder roost