Integrating new chicks

[Penelope59]

I’m adding 3 new girls to the flock. They are 9 weeks old. My other 7 girls are 14 weeks old. The new ones have been exploring the run for a week around the other chickens with a little supervision from me. A little bit of pecking going on, but no blood drawn. I’ve been separating them at night though. At what point do I put them in the coop with the older girls?
I’ve read to place them on a roosting bar once it gets dark when the others have gone in and settled. What happens at daylight and the older ones see them? I have a fear of waking up with injured chicks. Please, give me your best advice.

 

[DobieLover]

What happens at daylight and the older ones see them?

They may or may not pound the crap out of them.
Is there any way that you can leave the door open and let the younger birds decide when they want to roost with the older birds?

 

[Penelope59]

We don’t have the pleasure of letting them do that. We have too many predators at night. Even though we have electric fence around the entire run, I still wouldn’t take that chance. Besides, we have an automatic coop door that closes at dusk and doesn’t open until sunrise.

 

[abenardini]

I’m adding 3 new girls to the flock. They are 9 weeks old. My other 7 girls are 14 weeks old. The new ones have been exploring the run for a week around the other chickens with a little supervision from me. A little bit of pecking going on, but no blood drawn. I’ve been separating them at night though. At what point do I put them in the coop with the older girls?
I’ve read to place them on a roosting bar once it gets dark when the others have gone in and settled. What happens at daylight and the older ones see them? I have a fear of waking up with injured chicks. Please, give me your best advice.

Some people advocate for placing new birds into the coop at night and the existing birds are none-the-wiser. I've tried this method before many times and it never worked for me.

Do you have a doggie crate you could put perches in to let them share the coop at night? They can see but not touch them that way. Then when daylight is around for a bit, take them back out under supervision?

 

[Penelope59]

Some people advocate for placing new birds into the coop at night and the existing birds are none-the-wiser. I've tried this method before many times and it never worked for me.

Do you have a doggie crate you could put perches in to let them share the coop at night? They can see but not touch them that way. Then when daylight is around for a bit, take them back out under supervision?

I do have a dog crate- small sized, but thinking it’s going to take up too much room. Will certainly try it. If that doesn’t work, I will continue what I’m doing during the day and will keep separating at night until I feel 100% confident enough to put them in at night. May take longer, but I’ve read not to rush integrating anyway. Better safe than sorry.

 

[aart]

I’ve read to place them on a roosting bar once it gets dark when the others have gone in and settled. What happens at daylight and the older ones see them?

You can try that, but be down there at the break of day to see what's going on.
Might e best to try that sooner rather than later due to their ages.
If you wait until the older ones are laying, they may become even more territorial.

How big is your coop, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here.

 

[Penelope59]

You can try that, but be down there at the break of day to see what's going on.
Might e best to try that sooner rather than later due to their ages.
If you wait until the older ones are laying, they may become even more territorial.

How big is your coop, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here.

Great idea with not waiting because my girls should be laying by the end of Aug. and would not want them to still be dealing with the new girls. And yes, I’d be at the coop before the door opens in the a.m. Not sure of the dimensions of run and coop. Will post later. Thank you!

 

[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/

My integration pen last year inside my oversized run: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mini-coop-or-integration-pen-from-a-large-dog-crate.76593/

 

[Penelope59]

Thank you so much!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Where do the younger ones sleep at night? Can they get to it from the shared run? I'll also ask for the size of you coop and run. Some photos showing what you are working with and how they are set up could be really helpful. It sounds as if your coop may be pretty small if there is no room for a crate.

I want mine to prove to me that they can coexist in the run together with no issues before I try to put them together at night. They don't have to mingle and play together, they typically stay in separated sub-flocks, but no one is going out of their way to be a brute and a bully. I want at least a week with no drama before I try to move them into the main coop.

When I'm ready, I wait until it is dark so the chicks are easier to catch and the older ones can't see to hurt them. Then I lock them in the main coop. I don't put them on the roosts, mine aren't likely to sleep up there with the older ones anyway. I just put them on the coop floor, they'll figure out where they want to sleep. I don't care where they sleep as long as it is predator safe and not in my nests.

Then, as Aart said, I'm down there when they wake up to see how it is going every morning until I'm sure it isn't going to be a disaster. With mine that's never been more than two mornings but I have a nice 8' x 12' coop. The young ones have room to get out of the way. It's pretty common to see the younger on my 5' roosts while the older ones are roaming the coop floor. They are up there staying out of the way.

Mine can get to their temporary sleeping spot from the run. When I move them into the main coop I lock that up where they cannot get back to it. Most of the time once I move them they put themselves to bed in the main coop, but occasionally I have to lock them in there for a few nights before they all get the message. If your coop is so small they can't get in without getting pecked they might not want to go in.

I keep talking about the size of the coop. Size is important. If your main coop is big enough this should not be that hard. If it is small this could be challenging.

Good luck!