Integrating not going well

[CluckyandPeepsFlock]

Oh my. That sounds really frustrating!

Are they all different breeds?

 

[corthendo]

I am wondering if maybe they need to be spending more time together with a barrier to get used to each other.

Is it possible to leave your original flock in the chicken run with the new flock in the kennel next to them for a few days?

There is a bit of a size difference so I’m wondering if the little ones are still just too small

 

[corthendo]

Oh my. That sounds really frustrating!

Are they all different breeds?

The 5 big ones are a barnyard mix I think, I got them from my son’s egg cycle hatch at school. I suspected two of them were cockerels so I decided to get 3 more lol. A BCM and 2 OE. I do have a runt in the BYM group but they don’t pick on her that I’ve noticed.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would but my BCM isn’t fully feathered and I don’t have anyway to separate them inside the coop

They don't need to be fully feathered. Any current photo of the bird in question, plus temp lows at night?

You can't just put the dog kennel in the coop at night? Or even buy some chicken wire or deer netting and tack off a corner of the coop? I actually just leave my chicks in the run 24/7. Yes there's some predator risk but the ease at which they integrate makes it worth doing.

Someone mentioned getting rid of the cockerels ASAP. If they're the main problem, that alone would probably fix your issue entirely, as their removal would shake up the pecking order a bit.

 

[corthendo]

They don't need to be fully feathered. Any current photo of the bird in question, plus temp lows at night?

You can't just put the dog kennel in the coop at night? Or even buy some chicken wire or deer netting and tack off a corner of the coop? I actually just leave my chicks in the run 24/7. Yes there's some predator risk but the ease at which they integrate makes it worth doing.

Someone mentioned getting rid of the cockerels ASAP. If they're the main problem, that alone would probably fix your issue entirely, as their removal would shake up the pecking order a bit.

She’s making progress with her feathering lol. We are having a heatwave right now so it’s actually warmer than it has been. I could section off the coop for night time but with the size of the dog kennel and all the stuff in the run, roosting bar, ramp to the coop food and water there’s no way I could fit it in the run. I think I’ll shake up the pecking order and see if that helps.

 

[HenHouse Henry]

I have a small divided area that the newbies can live in with chicken wire to separate from the big girls. It took about 3 weeks before I let them be together for a few hours a day, keeping an eye on them. The new girls will get picked on for a while until the pecking order is reestablished. They will get along soon enough.

 

[corthendo]

I have a small divided area that the newbies can live in with chicken wire to separate from the big girls. It took about 3 weeks before I let them be together for a few hours a day, keeping an eye on them. The new girls will get picked on for a while until the pecking order is reestablished. They will get along soon enough.

They are integrated now for the most part there is still pecking here and there. But I gave the cockerels to my friend, that really helped

 

[Mouthpear]

I would but my BCM isn’t fully feathered and I don’t have anyway to separate them inside the coop

Bad Idea to leave the out there 24/7. Best thing to do is keep them separated but close to each other. As in making a fence/enclosed area for the little ones and the big ones out and about. So they can see each other and get used to it. It is hassle but until they get used to each other you might have to. Another way is to make the little ones a shelter. Like a carport where they can run to and get under. Same why you would make one for shelter from birds of prey, just shorter.