Integrating

Love My Chickies

Songster
May 24, 2021
202
313
136
Texas City, TX
I'm at my wit's end trying to integrate my 4.5 month old bantam pullet, Tiny, with my newer 14 week old pullets. Tiny's 3 flock mates all turned out to be boys so they're going to live in a bachelor coop. They're so much larger than her I'm afraid to let them mate her, plus just not enough girls for 3 boys. We've tried everything, starting with a dog crate in with the big guys since the newer pullets were younger to two runs side by side. When I put Tiny in the run with them, even though she's smaller, she chases them relentlessly and plucks out mouthfuls of feathers. With winter coming, she's going to need friends to roost with. What else can I do? Just leave her in there and hope for the best? (The cockrel in the bottom photo has been rehomed).
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We've tried everything, starting with a dog crate in with the big guys since the newer pullets were younger to two runs side by side.
How long did you do this?
How big are you coops and runs, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would be most helpful here.

Meanwhile, 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/
 
Tiny's current run, with the boys, is 6x16. The new girls' run is 8x18. The new run has a couple bushes/vines they crawl into.

We started with the crate for maybe 2 weeks, and attached runs for about 3, then started trying to put them into the same run.
 

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