Integrating a new flock

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Otter Chicken

Otter Chicken

Hatching
5 Years
Jan 20, 2015
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7
I've been reading a lot about integrating my new flock and my old flock together on here and thought I was ready. I have the following:

10 month old hens:
3 Araucanas
1 Rhode Island Red
2 Barred Rocks

11 week old hens:
2 Black Sex Links
3 Black Austalorps
2 New Hampshire Reds
3 Buff Orphingtons

1 11 week old Araucana Rooster

I put them next to each other through a screen door for a few weeks and let them mingle for a little bit of and on a couple times. 2 days ago I put them together. They have a 4x8 coop at night and add a large run during the day. The babies seem to be really scared of the bigger girls even though only two of the adults really pay much attention to them. As I have read, it seems the lowest of the older girls are the ones that go after the bakes but it hasn't seemed too bad. No blood, just pecking and squealing by the babies. My concern is that the babies all stay huddled in the corner in fear anytime the big girls come in the coop and won't go outside for the most part unless we force them out.

Should I consider this normal and expect that it will get better with time? Or am I trying to integrate them too early?

Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks in advance.
 
The best time to integrate is when the younger ones are about 16 weeks old. Before that, there is always the risk of bloodshed. If the younger ones won't stand up to the older ones, it is only a matter of time before one of them will be cornered and bloodied/possibly killed from my experience.
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

The best way I found to introduce them is this: Once the new birds are 10 weeks old, put them in a cage in the run with the other chickens. This insures they they can see and meet but not reach and attack one another. After about two weeks of this, I let them mix. I made sure they have lots of room to run and hide along with extra feeders and waterers. (Bossy hens will hog feeders and starve new birds.) After about a month, they get along like long, lost sisters! They really love each other!

Know that there will be some brutal fighting. This is necessary. Only interfere if one chicken is being turned on or if there is blood shed.
 
drumstick diva said:
I would cage the worst bullies and let them sit for a few days and see if the other chickens accept the younger ones.
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Good advice.
Make sure when you introduce them, the space isn't too tight. You want the younger ones to be able to get out of the way and not be in the others faces because they have no where to get out of the way.
It's better too if the younger ones sound like chickens and are no longer making peeping baby noises.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! X4, a long time of getting to know each other with wire separating them before hand and waiting until they are the same size before combining them usually works best. One other thing, if I understand your coop and chicken numbers correctly, 17 chickens in a 4x8 coop is really really crowded if they have to spend any time in there. Nice article from the Learning Center https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock
 
Welcome to BYC!
frow.gif
We're glad to have you.

You've received some good advice already! Good luck!
 

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