Integrate 2 different flocks

[Cathy L]

I currently have 3 hens and 2 roos around 1 yo. I just got 8 baby chicks. How do I integrate the 8 chicks when old enough or do they need their own coop

 

[Aapomp831]

I currently have 3 hens and 2 roos around 1 yo. I just got 8 baby chicks. How do I integrate the 8 chicks when old enough or do they need their own coop

Start introducing them as soon as possible by using the “see but can’t touch” method.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you have plenty of space to work with, you can try integrating early to take advantage of the chicks' tiny size and the fact that they're less threatening to adults. This is how I do it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/

 

[Silexian]

I currently have 3 hens and 2 roos around 1 yo. I just got 8 baby chicks. How do I integrate the 8 chicks when old enough or do they need their own coop

If you free range. I find that supervised time together makes it easier to introduce younger chickens to older ones. They are on neutral ground. So the older birds are not as aggressive. Plus if one does act aggressive, the younger ones have more room to run from them and you can shoo the older bird away. If it is overly aggressive. Of course you should also be out there supervising them. At least the first few times that they are out together.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How do I integrate the 8 chicks when old enough or do they need their own coop

A lot of that depends on what your facilities look like and your management techniques. How big are your coops and runs, how are they laid out, do you consider your run predator proof, when do they have access to different areas? Things like that. Even your location so we know your weather could be important. So the more you can tell us about your facilities and such the more likely we can give specific advice.

There are some generic things that help, just like with any integration. House them where they can see each other for a while, give them as much room as you can inside and out, improve the quality of what room you have with clutter (things they can hide under, behind, or over), have a few feed and water stations well spread out (out of sight of each other), and some patience. You can start early but don't rush them, let them work things out at their pace a much as you can.

With your new ones being chicks things change some because it could be months before they grow enough to fully merge with the flock, but I regularly have 5 week old chicks roaming with the adults without problems. The basically form a sub-flock and avoid the adults but co-exist very peacefully. My definition of a successful integration is that no one gets hurt. That's it. All the comradery of them hanging together in a tightknit flock doing things together can come later when they all mature. Until then I just don't want them to get hurt.

My brooder is in my fairly large coop so the chicks grow up with the flock. I have over 3,000 square feet available outside and the weather that the outside space is available to them practically all day every day. At five weeks mine are outside using all that space but avoiding the adults. Not everyone has the ability to brood in the coop or has the space and weather to do that.

Some people brood in their house or somewhere else away from the flock or maybe have to wait on the chicks to get older to handle the weather. There are techniques to handle that. Those may involve a pen built into the coop or a separate "grow-out" coop, what's best may depend on what your facilities look like.

There is no one way to do this, there is no one age to do this. There are many different ways that can work. Many of the principles are the same but the details of how to do that will depend a lot on what you have to work with.

 

[Cathy L]

Thank you all. I am expanding the area, and was thinking of adding another coop adjoining the other coop and outside run. So they will share the 15 x 15 run separated with chicken wire. They can then see each other and hopefully in the future the fence can come down. I just worry how the roos will treat them and a little bully of a hen.