Just wondering how often this works. I have had my 2 new ones (6 weeks) in a dog kennel but in the same run with all the other girls (7 weeks and 10 weeks) for the last few days and so far the main hen pecking I've seen involves food. We still bring them in the house to sleep at night b/c we have one more thing to do to finish the hen house, but I'd really LOVE to have all the girls sleeping in the hen house together before my company comes next Wednesday. I live in a teeny tiny cabin (600 sf) and they brooders have taken over my dining room. So, I'm just wondering if it will work to put all the girls in the hen house together for the first time... or should I give my originals a few nights to get used to it and then try putting the newbies in. What do ya'll think? Thank you in advance.
I've only added new additions to the flock at night while they're roosting and it's worked well for me. I still see a bit of pecking order but that's only normal from what I can tell. The new additions will vie for postion but usually be put in their place at the bottom. One thing I do is to make sure and add extra feeders and waterers to make sure everyone gets to eat and drink while they're working it out. Hope this is some help!
In reading about this... I saw that most people wait until their chicks/chickens have "roosted" for the night. Mine haven't quite taken to that yet and I doubt they will the first few nights they are in the coop. They still huddle in a corner together, so the night time integration may not work after all???
That's pretty close in age, so probably worth trying. You could try it at night if they already roost, or while distracting them with treats. If htere are problems, I'd try do identify which is the bully (and separate her only) and watch for any bloody wounds. Good luck.
