Integrating newbies into my flock

[Noodlekins]

Hope you can all give me some advice, I have 10 hens all just over a year old that have always been together, they have a good size run and plenty of room to roam and play. I incubated some eggs at Christmas and now have 3 six week old new ones. Its looking like I have a Cockerel and 2 pullets, I hoping these 3 will be able to live in my flock, at what age should i think about integrating them and will my little Man be up to the job of looking after the 2 new girls in the flock and pulling the rest into line!! Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated. They are currently living in pens side by side so can see each other all the time.

 

[dchronicles]

I hope you don't mind if I follow the thread... I too have 27 RIR's that are now seven weeks old and use the run outdoors. They love it and their coop is not ready yet so now have them penned in a detached garage. My problem is that I ordered another batch of RIR's over a month ago and then cancelled the order because of the coop not completed. We've had winds for several weeks that literally blow me around at times. In canceling the second order, the poultry company would not respond to my emails and phone calls, and I figured they were just ticked with me. Yesterday, Post Office called saying "chicks are here". Picked the box up and agitated. I opened the box at home and my jaw dropped... I did not get the RIR's, yet they doubled my order and sent mixed peeps with a total number of 57.... I'll be following the thread for advise on bringing new girls into the flock... I know I have time before introducing, but maybe some helpful tips on slowly integrating the newbies down the road.... Thanks

 

[slingshotandLAR]

There's a few thing you can do....

Put a temporary wall up so they can mingle with out contact, or leave a small opening the younger ones can get through that adults can't so they can escape.

Another thing you can do if its the right time, is remove one of the existing birds when you introduce the young ones. The older birds will need to reestablish a new order and the new birds will be picked on a bit less. I did this the last time I added birds but I had a few that were into their second molt and ready for the stock pot

 

[Mrs. K]

Small strange chickens are alway dangerous to submit to the older established flock. Even NICE flocks. In the chicken society, any bird that does not belong to us, is eating our food, and in out territory and needs to be run off. In a fenced enclosure, they can be killed.

However, you can do it, but it takes patience, hideouts, and a bit of luck.

Penning them close together, but separate will help a bit, but the best way it is to have a one way gate that the younger smaller birds can enter an area that is too small for the older bigger birds to get through. Escape from the older bigger birds is important, and the area of your coop/run needs to be assessed for possible traps, where the older bird can trap a younger bird, and the little one cannot get away, and can take a severe pecking or be killed.

It is important for your run to have blind spots, that a bird can be out of sight of the other birds. I had a great deal lot success with a pallet up on single blocks, it was too low for older birds to get under easily, and putting some food under there, let the younger ones eat in peace.

Mrs K