Integrating new chickens

[Tuch baluch]

Hello, does anyone have tips for integrating my two three month old chickens in with my 7 month old flock of five chickens?

 

[Lisawbsn]

Similar struggle, following.

 

[Tuch baluch]

Ok. We will get through this together!

 

[Tuch baluch]

@Lemon-Drop do you have any thoughts?

 

[Lisawbsn]

Well I have 8 almost 19 week old pullets and have been introducing a 14 week old cuckoo Maran and 16 week old Jersey Giant both pullets for over 3 weeks. I have my small coop in the run, it has a run attached. It was the older girls first coop but I realized quickly that it was way too small so we converted a shed into a coop with an auto door attached to the run. They could see each other, I started putting the younger ones in a rabbit cage in the big coop a week or so ago and over the past 4 days I have let them share the run and coop all day. They younger ones run from the older ones so I still cage them at night. Some chasing and pecking but nothing scary. The JG did get a peck to her eye and I’m treating that eye looks irritated but ok. This weekend the old coop will come out and we are putting up some vertical hangouts where it sat hope that changes their territory enough to throw them off a bit. I tend to hover and the young ones hide on my lap when chased which I doubt is helping them much.

 

[aart]

Here's some tips about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

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.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[Lemon-Drop]

What I always do is put the new chicks in a tractor that’s inside the big girls run, after about a week I’ll start letting the little ones out into the big chickens run and see how they interact. After about a week, and if there’s not much fighting, I let them stay together, then I consider them integrated.

@Lemon-Drop do you have any thoughts?

 

[3KillerBs]

Here are some useful articles on integration:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-“see-but-don’t-touch”-method.67839/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/adding-to-your-flock.47756/

I followed advice from @aart and @Ridgerunner and had two smooth integrations this summer.