I need to hear a flock integration SUCCESS story

[ERnoleGuy]

So, I am about to add 2 Ameraucanas pullets (4 months old) to my flock of 6 (a little over 2 months of age mostly). When I search for "adding birds to your flock" on BYC... ALL I read is negative. It is very hard to find anything positive. Everything is about disease, death, fighting... all horror stories.

I'm not naive & I work in the medical field so I understand about quarantines and such. But would someone please tell me a success story they've had adding new birds to their flock. Particularly birds similar in age to the ones I'm integrating.

 

[maplesky7]

I just in the matter of days combined my 1 year old flock with my spring hatch.

of course there is a pecking order but they'll work it out.

There is one red hen in particular being a bit more aggressive and establishing her dominance over everyone but you know... it just isn't all that bad.

so go on....... bite the bullet and let nature take it's course.

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

I have integrated several new chickens in with my flock and had very few problems. Of course, I have chickens of different colors in both of my pens, so a new type thrown in with them does not stand out so much. They usually check them out, peck them a time or 2, then go about business as usual. Most of my chickens are around 4 months old and a few are a bit younger. I haven't had a problem with introducing new chickens to mine. All you can do is try.

We have a pen with nothing but Australorps in it and I call them our "prejudiced" chickens. Any bird besides the original 9 Australorps that were raised together is beaten up on when we try to introduce it. We have even tried putting them in a cage within the pen so only wire separates them until they get used to each other. As soon as the new chickens get let out, they get attacked.

For this reason, I think it depends on the chickens. I honestly believe it makes a difference that the Australorps are all black and my chickens are different colors. A different chicken in their pen really stands out more. Of course, they also attacked a black sex link hen that we tried to introduce to them. Maybe they are just mean chickens.

 

[simplyscrambled]

I just integrated 6 young birds (about 9 week~ a banty cochin, a banty frizzle, a giant cochin, a welsummer, 2 Marans) to my 3 older hens of 2 EE (2 years old), and the 'grande dam' Plymouth Rock of maybe 8 years, the dominant hen.

I had a new henhouse added to my coop, almost 4' x 4', that the hens refused to go into. They preferred their roost in the coop. So I put all the young birds in there with food and water, and for about 3 days, kept chicken wire across the opening. Then I opened up a section where the ladder was. Ha, it was about a week before the young birds left the henhouse, even after I opened the entire front! And then, only when the older hens were free ranging. I removed the water from the henhouse, which made the young birds jump down to the big 2 gallon waterer.

No fighting, no bloodshed, nothing! The young ones scoot away when the older hens walk towards them and they scatter. The older hens still prefer to roost in the coop, and the young'uns scoot up the ladder to roost in the henhouse at night. Today was the first day, though, that one of my older hen actually used the nestbox!! Yay!

They're all in a coop during most of the day, and let out in the early evening to free range in my yard, until dark.

Good luck!

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Throw them all in together and let the best one win!
No really, if you slip the new ones in while everyone is on roost,..they will be a little more accepting to them. This is what I did and I intergrated 3 hatches together at different times,..they are all happy and getting along wonderfully,...and no casualities or disease to speak of. It is usually the best to make sure they are close in size to the others so there won't be as much bullying. Good luck!

 

[maplesky7]

just snooty.

we have 1 black aust. but she's pretty wild in the sense that she never let a roo get a hold of her or anyone else for that matter. But she's low on the totem pole...jumps out of the way when that red hen comes near.

 

[ERnoleGuy]

Quote:
Thank you. I like to hear things like "...had very few problems." My chickens I have already are quite a diverse bunch. A golden laced Polish, a buff polish, 2 rhode island reds, and 2 light brahmas. They are all handled all the time. Sometimes they can each be a bully; sometimes they are each getting picked on. I make sure they know that I am a the top of the pecking order. :-D

 

[maplesky7]

what do you do.... pluck a feather?

that's what my red hen is doing... that naughty girl.

 

[ERnoleGuy]

Quote:
HAHA. I chase them around the coop & run, pin their heads to the ground, jump on them, etc. LOL. I'm just kidding. I repeat, just kidding. I'm not abusing my chickens. hehe

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

I have light Brahmas and several Polish (among others). They are mostly all friendly to other chickens. The Brahmas seem to accept any chicken they meet and the Polish are also calm, with the one exception that I mention below.

If you have trouble introducing your new ones, try putting them where they can see each other but can't get to each other for a few days. Then try putting them together. I have also discovered that it works better with mine to slip a new one in on the roost or to put them in the middle of the other ones from the beginning just like they belong there. When I just put a new one in the doorway, it seems like they are more aggressive towards it because they realize it's new.

I have one Polish pullet who won't let any males get on "her" roost at night, but other than that they are all pretty calm and nice to any chicken I introduce to them. My Polish mostly try to stay out of the way of others because they can't see who is coming due to those huge crests! The one pullet that I mentioned likes to roost on top of the nesting boxes instead of on the roost and she is funny about it. She will let a certain group of pullets sit with her and that is it! I introduced a new pullet and she accepted her into her little group immediately. A couple of different roosters have tried to sit up there with them and she screams at them and tries to push them off. It seems like that is a "girls only" spot. It's actually kind of funny and totally off the topic, but that's the only problem that I've had with my Polish chickens. Even the rooster is pretty calm most of the time.