How to introduce five 8 week olds to my laying hens?

[Woytgirl]

Yeah, I don't know if I'd ever be comfortable eating a chicken that I've raised as a chick. If I were you, and if the cockiest one was a nice roo, I'd keep it if I could.

 

[Woytgirl]

Yeah, now the chicks will perch on the cage that's in the run to be away from the hens. or they g into the coop.

Try placing a small cage in their pen for a few days. Then sit in the pen with them and let the little chicks run about. Then put them back in the cage. Just repeat until their happy with each other.

 

[rainee63]

Mine were actually all roosting together when I went to shut their door last night. I think mine are a little older than yours, but I was proud of the progress.

 

[Woytgirl]

Awesome!! I can't wait till mine do that!! Then we don't have to worry about all this stuff anymore. Mine have started eating and drinking from the big chickens water though!!

 

[rainee63]

I have 5 EE chicks that are 1 week younger than my buff orpingtons. My goal is to find homes for the roosters, put the EEs in with the orpington hens and my australorp babies. Keep my blue australorp roo and bring out my incubator ONE LAST TIME... to hatch a few more baby blues. So next year I will be able to hatch babies from my babies. Haha. It never ends!

 

[drumstick diva]

Please check out the kindest, gentlest method of integrating young birds to older established flock, called "The Look but, don't touch," method. Done right there is NO bloodshed.

 

[rainee63]

Please check out the kindest, gentlest method of integrating young birds to older established flock, called "The Look but, don't touch," method. Done right there is NO bloodshed.

Thanks! I'll Definitely check it out. Cuz if I do reload my incubator there will be a much bigger age difference in all my chickens.

 

[LisPrissy]

My approach is to add the dominant birds to the subordinate birds so subordinates have home turf advantage. Add dominants singly with a one day interval between them. The young birds will still get pecked by first addition but not as much relative to being placed in with dominants. First added dominants will suppress aggression of those added later.

This is exactly how we introduced ours. Put the little ones in the new coop for one full day first and then put our "Big Girls" in. Worked GREAT!! The little ones approached the big girls, were gently pecked and went about their business . One week in now and all is well. You can still tell it is two different flocks but no fighting

 

[Woytgirl]

Thx for all the replies!!! Mine are getting bigger, about 9 weeks.......now they jump onto the feeder if they get attacked. I think they are finally starting to get better!! They mainly just avoid the big chickens and will jump from the feeder to on top of the rabbit cage if the hens peck them.