Integrating

[RobC123]

So I have four 7 month old chickens and I’m about to introduce four more 7 week old chickens. I’ve tried integrating my last batch and it didn’t go too well. Are the 7 week old chickens too small for the older ones ? Please let me know thank you

 

[Acre4Me]

It can work, but what I’ve done is to allow the chicks in brooder (connected to the run), into a fenced in area of the run for a couple weeks weeks. Then, around 4,5,or 6 weeks old (weather dependent sometimes) I prop up the fence and allow chicks in or out of the run, but older chickens can’t get under. It can work to put up a cardboard divider (or similar) and cut out smallish openings that chicks can use but older ones can’t navigate. The chicks will naturally enter the larger run, but can retreat safely to a protected area by choice. I also add a few things that chicks can get under for safety if they don’t make it back to the safe area. In my experience, it takes longer than a week to integrate, and this is not putting them in the coop at night either. Eventually the will form their own flock of chicks that stay together, generally, in the run, but aren’t harassed much by the older ones.

 

[aart]

Are the 7 week old chickens too small for the older ones ?

Actually integrating even younger is better, IMO.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
But water under the bridge now.

How big is your coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would be most helpful here.

Here's some tips about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[Ridgerunner]

You have different potential issues. First, some chickens will try to keep any strangers away from the flock. They may attack other chickens in the area that they recognize as not part of the flock. It doesn't happen every time but it happens often enough that it's worth attention. A common way around it is to house the new chickens across wire for a while so they get to know each other and accept that they belong in the area. Housing them across wire doesn't always work but it tremendously improves your chances of success.

Sometimes you get a chicken that goes out of its way to attack new weaker chickens. Sometime it is a high-ranking bird protecting the flock but often it is a really low ranking bird. My theory on that is that it doesn't want any new birds joining the flock that will be higher ranking than it, sort of protecting its place in the pecking order even if that place is on or near the bottom. I'm sure there are other possible causes. I hardly ever see this but I have a lot of room. I think this is more likely to happen if room is limited. But the personality of your individual chickens can play a part.

One big issue is that more mature chickens automatically outrank less mature chickens in the pecking order. Once they are all mature this issue seems to go away. My pullets typically reach this level of maturity about the time they start to lay. Until then, if an immature chicken invades the personal space of a more mature flock member it just might get pecked. It usually doesn't take long for the immature chickens to learn to stay away from the more mature. During the day they form a sub-flock and keep their distance. At night mine do not sleep on the roosts with the adults but find a place to sleep where the more mature ones won't peck them. Sometimes I do see a lot more interaction during the day than this sounds like, but usually I don't. Each integration is different.

Again room is important. If they don't have enough room to run away when they get pecked and stay away so they don't get pecked to start with the attacks may not stop. This is when it gets really dangerous. It takes more room to integrate than it does for them to live together as one flock after they all mature enough to become one flock.

I don't know how much room you have inside the coop or how that area is arranged. I don't know what size your run is or how that is arranged. I don't know how you manage those spaces (when they have access). The more you can tell us about your facilities the more likely we will be able to offer suggestions specific to your unique situation. Without that information the best we can do is offer generic suggestions like Aart did without knowing how you might apply them. Things like give them as much room as you can, improve the quality of your room by adding clutter, provide widely scattered food and water stations, and other techniques that can help.

To me it is not a size of the chicken issue. I regularly have 5-week-old chicks roaming with the adults without problems. I've had 3-week-olds do that when a broody hen weaned her chicks at three weeks. It's room and management technique issues.