How do I merge my flocks? They do not generally like each other but we can’t have two

[Lily4flow]

I have two small flocks three chickens each, one is a month younger than the other which is just at laying age. The younger flock has one rooster who we will need to give away so we want to merge the flocks while they have even numbers. The problem is, the older flock is very rude to the youngers. Missie, who’s the lead chicken, is always pecking the youngers, especially the rooster and the silkie. The second in charge I also follows and the third doesn’t do much unless the get too close. The older flock did have a rooster before but since we live the city we had to give him away. He would always peck the chicks a lot, chasing after them even after the ran away but he’s gone now and I think he was a bad influence. The older chickens will not accept the chicks, we have tried putting them in at night three times which works until morning when we have to separate them again. The chicks seem to want to join the flock, in fact they always want to hang around the run and outside of the coop but never go into the coop because they are afraid. Last night we were about to put them into the temporary area we have set up and noticed they were trying to sleep on top of the older chickens coop. What should I do?

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Merge them but make sure they have ample room and watch them, if they are getting attacked then intervene if it's just a peck here and there them let them be unless they bleed or it's severe.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Knowing more about what your facilities look like could help. Size of all coops and runs and how they tie together. Photos can be very valuable. It helps to know what you are working with so we can give specific advice that suits your actual situation. Without that specific knowledge all we can do is give you generic suggestions.

There is a difference in maturity in the two groups, even though the age difference is only a month. With mine, until they all mature the older outrank the younger and might peck (or worse) the younger if they invade their personal space. It usually doesn't take them long to learn to avoid the older. It sounds like yours may not have learned that lesson yet. Part of that is that they need enough room to avoid.

It's not always as dramatic as I may make it sound, they can often mingle quite a bit without issues, but I find the more room they have the better this process goes. With your small numbers of chickens space may be tighter than optimum. It is not square feet per chicken, it is can they avoid the others.

Not knowing what you are working with, what I'd do if I could is to not force them to be that close together. Let them stay separate during the day and sleep apart at night until they prove they can mingle during the day without any problems. Then you can try putting them together to sleep at night. Once your younger ones start to lay they should merge into one flock. Until then expect them to stay apart.

I'd get rid of that cockerel now. There isn't any significant difference in integrating two or three (2 is much better than 1). He will probably cause more problems than having a third bird will solve.

 

[Mrs. K]

Put the other three older birds WHERE you had the younger birds, if you need to, put a nest in that area for a coupe of days. A cardboard box with some bedding and a flap giving privacy will work fine.

Put the younger birds in the main coop. Leave every thing like this for two or three days. By putting the younger birds into the main territory, to explore without being chased for their lives allows them to develop some territorial rights. Letting them roost in the coop, it won't hurt those older birds to be kept off the roost for a night or two.

Then add the middle bird to the younger birds, I would expect maybe a dust up, but not much. Again wait a couple of days, then let them mix together as close as you can to dark. The urge to roost will be strong. If the young ones go back to the roof, just put them in the coop, not on the roost.

That really mean one, you may have to pull her... sometimes they are tough. If so, a little while longer in the sectioned off part won't kill her.

Mrs K

 

[Happy hen lover]

It helped mine to have lots of places to eat and water. Older ones are mean but I agree about personal space, once they are all laying it does get better. Just watch for severity of pecking.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I agree with @Ridgerunner, let us see your arrangements, then we can be of better help.

Meanwhile, a few questions for you to consider. Have the two flocks been side by side for a while, where they can see each other but not physically interact? This generally helps get them accustomed to each other. Are there more than one feeder and waterer in the shared space, out of sight from each other? Is there "clutter" for the newbies to hide behind such as open-ended tunnels, some kind of walls, in the run, etc.? Is the coop big enough to provide about 4 sqare feet of floor space per bird and a foot of linear roost space per bird?