Integrating new chickens

[Cinmor3]

Just added new chickens to my existing flock. Immediately our rooster mated with the beige hen. She then proceeded into the flock to introduce herself and 2 hens and the rooster attacked her! With 3 against one she coward down and tried to bury her head. I jumped in at this point. I thought the rooster would keep things peaceful,but instead he joined in. Should I be concerned for my new beige hen?

 

[alinas2010]

Is this your first time integrating chickens into your existing flock? Is it just one lone chicken?

 

[Cinmor3]

my first time integrating chickens. I had 11 hens and a rooster and the beige hen came with a group of 7. The beige hen was the only one brave enough to go visit my existing flock. The other 6 new hens are staying off to themselves at this time.

 

[alinas2010]

It is not uncommon for established flocks to be a bit ruthless to new comers. Pecking orders have to be rearranged when new birds come along and it can be a stressful process for all involved. For that reason a lot of people use the “see no touch” method to bring in new birds. This would be my recommendation for you to help these new ones become familiar with their surroundings and the established flock and get the established flock used to having the new ones around. It is done by providing some sort of fence or barrier between the two flocks where they can see and hear each other but they can’t interact in a way that will hurt anyone. Most do this for a few weeks and then remove the barrier. There will likely be a little bickering and some small fights and bloodshed still, but it gets everyone used to each other. Perhaps someone with a bit more experience will chime in and give you more advice about integration. I myself, have only introduced a lone bird to my flock, and I can tell you that was a really sad and hard process. Being that you have a group of new birds, the process will likely be a little bit easier; friends always help the adjustment go better. I also do not know a lot about roosters and their behavior with integration, so hoping someone can guide you on that, too.

 

[Nym]

Four months have passed and my 3 Pekins still won't have anything much to do with the 2 Arauacana pullets - theyre still sleeping in seperate coops at nite. The lowest ranking Pekin will chase the Araucanas when feed is around, even though I provide a few food stations. The exercise does her good lol. Good luck with yours

 

[Cinmor3]

It is not uncommon for established flocks to be a bit ruthless to new comers. Pecking orders have to be rearranged when new birds come along and it can be a stressful process for all involved. For that reason a lot of people use the “see no touch” method to bring in new birds. This would be my recommendation for you to help these new ones become familiar with their surroundings and the established flock and get the established flock used to having the new ones around. It is done by providing some sort of fence or barrier between the two flocks where they can see and hear each other but they can’t interact in a way that will hurt anyone. Most do this for a few weeks and then remove the barrier. There will likely be a little bickering and some small fights and bloodshed still, but it gets everyone used to each other. Perhaps someone with a bit more experience will chime in and give you more advice about integration. I myself, have only introduced a lone bird to my flock, and I can tell you that was a really sad and hard process. Being that you have a group of new birds, the process will likely be a little bit easier; friends always help the adjustment go better. I also do not know a lot about roosters and their behavior with integration, so hoping someone can guide you on that, too.

Thank you so much for the guidance. I’m so happy there is a website to learn from!

 

[alinas2010]

Thank you so much for the guidance. I’m so happy there is a website to learn from!

Of course! It will take some time but they will eventually sort things out. Just don’t just throw everyone in together, that could be deadly in some cases. Good luck!