Integrating chickens With existing chickens

[abbyok]

New to chickens this summer. I have 2 red sex link 18 week non layers. I have been offered 2 golden comets 1 year and laying. I'm trying to figure out logistics. The coop size is ok but not able to be sectioned off. So it's all or nothing in regards to coop. I can section off a run for each but not sure how to do it. Obviously I want the new ones to start laying in the nest boxes - so does that mean I should bump my existing from the coop? Suggestions?

 

[GitaBooks]

Sorry it took so long to respond.

Do you have a large crate? You could use the crate as the night-time pen for the new hens and let them out into a sectioned-off part of the run during the day. Make sure they are healthy before introductions. It is best to introduce over a weeks time, so they can see and hear each other for over a week before taking away the divide. My hens peck at my younger chickens, but because there is so much space the little guys can run away easily, and the hens only mean it to put them in their place, not to be nasty.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any other questions.

Best of luck!

 

[abbyok]

Thank you so much for the reply! I'm getting them this week. I have a lot of figuring out to do!!!!

 

[Spartan22]

Thank you so much for the reply! I'm getting them this week. I have a lot of figuring out to do!!!!

Hope things work out good, its a little bit stressful to put new chicken w/ stablished flock. I have 17 wk olds and 20 wk olds that still partitioned in the run and coop. In about 2 wks am planning to remove the chicken wire separation so they can join the year old flock so they'll be totally one flock before winter.

 

[abbyok]

I'm just envisioning a west side story show down. Two against two battling it out! I just didn't think this early in the game I'd have to add to my flock so I am woefully unprepared!

 

[azygous]

It helps to understand chicken flock behavior when introducing new ones. The pecking order is a whole lot simpler when only a handful of chickens are involved because the relationships are fewer.

In a flock of twenty, each chicken has a relationship with twenty others, so you have 400 interactions going on.Settling the ranks inside a pecking order that large requires a lot of time and possibly considerable squabbling.

Each of your four hens will have a relationship with three others, so you will only have twelve different interactions among them. Yours should be able to settle their ranks rather quickly, there being so few interactions.

With that few interactions, the odds are very good that they will be happy to let one of their number be the head hen and the other three fall into place following her lead. It shouldn't take long, and you probably won't notice much conflict, if any.

As long as there is plenty of space, chickens are very good at working things out and keeping things peaceful.

 

[aart]

It helps to understand chicken flock behavior when introducing new ones. The pecking order is a whole lot simpler when only a handful of chickens are involved because the relationships are fewer.

In a flock of twenty, each chicken has a relationship with twenty others, so you have 400 interactions going on.Settling the ranks inside a pecking order that large requires a lot of time and possibly considerable squabbling.

Each of your four hens will have a relationship with three others, so you will only have twelve different interactions among them. Yours should be able to settle their ranks rather quickly, there being so few interactions.

With that few interactions, the odds are very good that they will be happy to let one of their number be the head hen and the other three fall into place following her lead. It shouldn't take long, and you probably won't notice much conflict, if any.

As long as there is plenty of space, chickens are very good at working things out and keeping things peaceful.

This is an interesting theory.....the numbers make sense, in a sense,
But I always kind of thought smaller flocks would have more trouble because of less distractions than there is amongst a larger crowd....
......and that one bird would be more easily singled out for abuse than with larger crowd.

Whatever the population numbers,
the numbers for: sq ft of space, feed and water stations and places to hide 'out of line of sight' and/or up and away from aggressors, should be multiples.

 

[abbyok]

Ok. So, I have a one acre fenced yard. The existing chicks can get through the fence if they really try - but I haven't seen them do it since their companion was nabbed and eaten on the other side. I could conceivably let both sets roam the yard or I can fence off two runs. Which is better? The current "run" isn't really much of a run. It's 5 ft plastic fencing on temporary stakes. Current size is about 10x15. So I could make a duplicate on the other side. I already have three water era on the property and 2 feeders (though they pretty much ignore their feed and just eat my garden

 

[amynrichie]

However you decide to do it, I like to keep the two groups together- but separate. A pen inside a pen, if you will. A dog crate in the coop will keep your newcomers separate at night, and safe in the coop. A fenced area where both groups can see each other all day helps them get to know each other. I also like to sprinkle scratch along both sides of the fence line so they can eat together. After 7-14 days- you can remove the crate and the pen. Do this after dark the first time, so that when they wake up in the morning, they are already together. You WILL have some scuffles- but as long as they have the entire yard to roam in the first few days- they will sort it out. The key to removing barriers the first time is to make sure they have plenty of room to get away from each other. I also like to keep food and water in multiple places at this time so that no one is kept away from it.

Someone else mentioned to make sure the newcomers are healthy before you put them in the same coop. Good idea if you can work that out logistically. I don't really have a good way to do that, and, knock on wood, I haven't been burned by introducing disease into my flock.