Integrating 3-month-olds with 1-year-olds

[Sarah2020]

Hello everyone!

I've read a lot about integrating new chickens and some camps that say "just throw them in" others that say "sneak them in at night" and others that say "slowly let them see but not touch." We decided to do a see and not touch method. We have the 3-month olds (one buff orp & one rhode island red) on one side of the run and the 1-year-olds (Amerecaunas) on the other, completely separated but they can see each other.

Well today, my husband stuck them all in the run without the door to divide them and I found out after the fact (probably less than an hour). Now, I look outside and see all four of them laying as close as they can be to each other with the divider in-between (picture below). Should I take this to mean they're ready for full integration?

 

[Mrs. K]

Mostly you need to understand chicken society. I call it bowing to the queen. When the chick and hen meet, the chick must make way, and preferably get out of sight, this tells the hen, that she is duly respected. I have seen a chick scoot away, around a piece of plywood, and right back around to eat, right next to the biddy, in less than 5 seconds.

But where things can go wrong, is a wide open run. Where as every bird can see every other bird 100% of the time. Then the lower bird cannot bow, cannot give way. And even though she moves off, the older bird thinks she is not respectful, so follows her in pursuit, and pecks her harder...but there is still no place to go, and then gets a harder peck, and it gets out of hand.

But if there are lots of hideouts, preferably hideouts where a chick can escape to, but a older hen cannot follow. A pallet just up on blocks maybe with 6 inches of clearance, all the way around, works well. A chick can run under there like through water, and older hen might stick her head in there and reach... but will drastically slow her down, and more than likely, she will pull back, her point having been made.

Another way that has worked for me, is fencing made of lattice. 3 week old chicks on one side with food and water. A pallet set up no too far away. The chicks dance out, test the area, retreat when threatened.

Or a woven fence for a couple days, then raise the fence up off the ground all the way around, just a couple of inches.

This allows the flock and chicks to work it out on their own terms. Chicks learn who to give wide berth to, and who is not so cranky. They will follow the hens to the coop in a relatively quick time, and the integration is complete in a week.

Mrs K

 

[Phoenixxx]

A "too hard" peck will draw blood. I have never seen a hen do that to any youngsters in my ten years of raising chickens, usually you only see that between two roosters engaged in battle (and occasionally if you have an aggressive rooster that goes for a human - we tend to bleed a heck of lot more when attacked than they do, for some reason!). Chickens are flock animals, their goal is to get along as an orderly society, not kill each other. I usually toss my new birds in at between 3 and 6 weeks, depending on the weather. Only once did I have to remove a group of chicks (there were only 4, and over a dozen adults saying, "you're below me!" So it was a bit too rough for them) and put them back in the brooder until they were 6 or 7 weeks before trying again

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes, you need a "back door" so that the hideout is not a trap. It needs multiple entrances and exits. While I have pallets leaned against the wall, but ends are open, I also have objects in the middle of the run. Breaking up the flat out straight line run at a bird. Chicks will be quicker, and more agile and fit through smaller gaps.

But I will admit, sometimes an older gal can be heartless. If so, put one of the older gals in a dog crate, or both of them in the dog crate for a week. They will complain, ignore it. This will let the the younger birds explore the area, become more confident in the area, and less victim like. And the older ones can get used to seeing them in their territory. BUT KEEP THE CLUTTER, add more.

Set up the feed bowls so that a bird eating at one spot, cannot see a bird eating at another spot. Feed and water them in the hideout.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

although they’re paired off - not a group which makes me a little sad.

Totally normal, no reason to be sad.
The younger birds will not be part of the older flock until they start laying.
even then they may still stay segregated.

 

[Mamatomany123]

I just integrated my 2nd group of chicks. I was worried that my method wasnt working and injuat got lucky last time because one of my hens ket trying to kill the younger ones but turns out she just had to go

I brood the chicks in the coop from day one. That way the bigger girls get used to them being there. At around a mo th old (depending on the weather) I let then into the run. They have an od wagon fipped over and ifted on some bricks to run under that the bigger girls cant get under. I just let my batch of 6 weeknolds out and, now that we got rid of the bully, they are fine. They're running around,wating, climbing the tree branches I have set up in there. They do scream when they get too close to a big girl but the big girls arent doing anything,the littles are just scared. I do think space may be an issue for you. There isnt enough room for clutter and for them to get far enough away from the bigger girls.

Also, you'll need to come to terms that sometimes a hen just will never accept new birds. What you do then is up to you but I ended up having to get rid of my bully last night. She was escalating and it wasnt healthy for me or the other chickens.

 

[Yardmom]

How did they act when together? There is always pecking order to establish, but if they didn't fight or chase hard they are ready. You may want provide places to hide that they can't get trapped just in case. I leave my food barrels a little out from the corners.

 

[Yardmom]

I would like to know about this also. I have 3, 7 week olds and one 2 yr old. All hens. When can they be together ?

If they are old enough to be outside they are old enough to integrate.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would toss some boxes in there, or small pieces of plywood, or totes on their side. I would add some roosting posts outside of the coop. It will look more cluttered, but it will make much better use of the vertical space, which your chickens can't use in this set up. Add an old ladder, or chairs or saw horses.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

What keeps happening is the two young ones run to a hiding spot and the two elder ones wait outside that spot, effectively trapping the young ones

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.