Integrating a young rooster to an established flock of hens

[Wyatt0224]

As people before have said you just broke up the pecking order that the older girls had and therefore they will be aggresive in making a new one. Since they're so old it may take time for the older hens to accept a rooster. My aunt had an accidental rooster once and the old girls would try and kill him every day. It will take quite some time but the hens will eventually come around to respecting the rooster and he will be at the top of the pecking order. As long as he is nice I wouldn't get rid of him.

 

[aart]

Here is the set up. They have been in the "grow out coop " for at least three weeks. As you can see it is connected to the big girl coop. Hardware cloth separates the two areas.

Is the paddock connected to the runs?

 

[crazychick26201]

No. But it is very close beside the big run. I can't upload a photo for some reason . The chickens go out their run door, turn a corner and there is a little pathway beside the run that they go down into the paddock. There is a three foot gap from the corner of the run to the opening of the paddock and a rose bush is planted there. You can see the paddock from inside the run. I am thinking of letting the Littles in to the big girls coop/run while the big girls are in the paddock, just so they can get used to that area. I am just not sure when to attempt another integration. I do not want anyone badly injured or killed, yet I do not have the time to stay out there all day!

 

[aart]

Best bet would be to split paddock and connect each half of paddock to respective coops/runs......
.....then they all can spend all day/night in their separate but adjacent spaces without supervision.
For as long as possible, with test mingling's...would be good to have a door between paddock spaces to facilitate said mingling's.
Would be some work and cost, but will really save you time and frustration down the road having two separate complete shelter spaces.

There'll still come a time when they have to share the same space.....then multiple feed/water, places to hide, etc, etc, will need to be provided.

It might be best to mingle/integrate all the girls and leave the cockerel separated (wire dog crate maybe) as he is complicating things with his young randiness.

 

[crazychick26201]

Ok Aart. They have been beside each other but not touching for a couple of months now. The younger ones will be 17 weeks tomorrow. They eat , preen, and scratch around right next to each other but not touching. They watch each other all the time. In the meantime I lost one of my older girls to peritonitis. So now I have three older hens to integrate with two young pullets and young rooster. I plan to put them in with the older ladies during the night soon and be there early in the a.m. To see what happens. I have extra feeding stations and three waterers. Stumps, roosts, and places to hide. I have a first aid kit and a hospital crate set up. I don 't know how much fighting I can personally take, or how much the older hens can take. How much should I allow ? If the combs get bloodied should I quit and separate again ? Wish me luck!