How do i intergrate chickens?

[Zealo]

I've never had fighting problems with my girls, but I've heard about putting them in a new area where they have plenty of room to roam and letting all of them out some what at the some time. That way there's no territory that's been claimed.
Better yet, make sure you let the new girls out first.

But don't make it boring, have something that you know your chickens can not resisted.

However, if your older girls are ganging up on them all at once, you might have to let one older girl back in one at a time.
You also SHOULD NOT try to keep putting them together if your chickens are hurt.

Ranking usually works out with the Biggest, healthiest, and bossiest chicken on top
And then it starts to go down by those things

If your new girls are in poor condition, putting them together with your old girls will end up with the old girls trying to do more then just setting the new ones in order. Weak chicken, is a dead chicken.


Side note, how old is your new girls and Old girls??

Are the new ones still pullets?

 

[chickens123432]

It seems to me, if you were doing everything right, you wouldn't be here asking for advice. What works for one bird may not work for another. If you want advice, please be as gracious to receive it as others here are to give it. Everyone here tries their best to help ...

ok I'm sorry.i never said i was doing everything right. we all make mistakes and need advice. i am thankful for all the people trying to help. but sometimes we have different was of doing things that other people can't understand.

 

[chickens123432]

I've never had fighting problems with my girls, but I've heard about putting them in a new area where they have plenty of room to roam and letting all of them out some what at the some time. That way there's no territory that's been claimed.
Better yet, make sure you let the new girls out first.

But don't make it boring, have something that you know your chickens can not resisted.

However, if your older girls are ganging up on them all at once, you might have to let one older girl back in one at a time.
You also SHOULD NOT try to keep putting them together if your chickens are hurt.

Ranking usually works out with the Biggest, healthiest, and bossiest chicken on top
And then it starts to go down by those things

If your new girls are in poor condition, putting them together with your old girls will end up with the old girls trying to do more then just setting the new ones in order. Weak chicken, is a dead chicken.


Side note, how old is your new girls and Old girls??

Are the new ones still pullets?

3 of them are 11 months and 1 of them is 2 years

 

[chickens123432]

If this is the correct measurements of your run, it seems a little on the small side for 4 adult birds. You have 18sf, I think the recommended amount I've seen on this site is 10sf/bird. If you follow that advice you only have enough room for 1.8birds. I have 7hens and 1 roo in a 176sf run which gives over twice the recommended space and even with that I'm seeing more pecking lately with the cabin fever setting in due to all the snow.

Suggest you suspend your integration efforts and apply that energy to expanding the run, then trying again to integrate them in the new bigger run. Also I don't think you want to expand the run and add two of the birds then try to integrate the other two. Better to let them all have the "new" run at the same time so no one has a chance to claim ownership when the new birds are added. It's all new stuff and they all have an equal shot at it if they all get introduced to it at the same time.

3 of my birds are small birds. Almost bantam sized.

 

[TexanFW]

Ok, when people say dog crate what exactly do they mean because in my mind it's a small plastic box with a mesh door on the front. I must be on the wrong track because I can't imagine how 1 chook could be living in such a tight space let alone 2 or more, are there roosts etc??

Lol Its all relative. I own a Mastiff so when I thought of dog crates I pictured something my 150 lb dog would fit in comfortably.

 

[karenerwin]

When I am introducing new, younger birds to my existing flock I put a wire enclosure (field fencing) in the middle of the yard or run with a small "coop" inside. Then I let the older birds out into the run or yard and the younger birds are in the field fence enclosure. What happens is that the younger birds can fit through the holes in the field fence ( or I leave a small space ay the bottom) so they ( the young ones) go out into the run or yard and if the older birds get aggressive or bother them, the younger birds run back into the enclosure. The older birds can't get into the enclosure because they are too big to fit through the openings. The all manage to integrate themselves without much fuss. Eventually I take down the field fence enclosure & take away the smaller "coop".

 

[gclark94560]

The numbers I remember are -

Coop space = 4 Sq Ft per bird minimum. That"s 2'X2' per bird.
Run space = 10 Sq Ft per bird minimum. That's 3.2'X3.2, per bird.

For 4 birds that's 16 Sq Ft of coop. 4X4 floor size minimum plus roost space above.
For the run that's 40 Sq Ft of space minimum. As in 4'X10'.

For roost space give 8" per bird for smaller breeds and 1 foot each for large fowl.

I have 3 adult chooks. One Australorp and 2 large English Blue Orps. The coop is 4X4 and the run is 10X10.

 

[jak2002003]

Space is the key.

They can seriously injure each other in a confined area... like a dog crate... or even a pen.

Its best to integrate them when they are free ranging.

So long as they can get away from each other there will be little danger of a bad injury.. only a few cuts and scrapes.

Keep them free range in the day together.. and feed them outside too. but don't lock them up together in the same coop for the night until they are getting on better.

It can take time.. usually about a week, until they tolerate each other.

 

[RooJi]

BWAHAHAHA @TexanFW i just saw your avatar!!! Hilarious!

 

[DianaMallory]

@ TexasFW iS that your dog? I have a video of my dog humping my cat.