Integration Behaviors

[thecatumbrella]

I'm in the process of integrating my 3 week-olds with my 9 week-olds. We do not free range, so everything takes place in my 9x18 run. I've sectioned off a 4x4 area for the little ones with hardware cloth. My plan is to take things slowwwww. We have seven older chicks (6 cochin bantams and 1 d'uccle) and three younger chickens (1 cochin bantam and 2 silkies).

The first meeting (yesterday) started with lots of interest from the big girls, but quickly tapered off. I had a couple stare downs with lip smacking. Pretty uneventful. During the second meeting (today), the little girls felt comfortable enough to eat from their baby feeder, and the big girls LOST THEIR MIND watching them. I mean, they really wanted to relive eating from the baby feeder, despite having the exact same food six inches behind them. I decided to toss some pellets around the outside of the integration pen for them to forage, which diffused the situation except for one pullet...

Her face turned beet red and she started gearing up to kick at the littles through the hardware cloth. She tracked them along the whole length hoping to get a peck in. No interest in the pellets herself, but those littles needed to STEP OFF (the littles could not reach the pellets). She was completely tilted after that. Any time near the integration pen meant she was red faced and ready to peck.

Did I just completely screw up trying to give them a "treat" during integration time? Should I just let it play out, since she can't get to them? Should I correct/redirect her? It's my first time integrating chicks, and while I have a good understanding of the process, I'm unfamiliar with a lot of the smaller details.

Thanks for your help!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You didn't mess anything up. After a week or two the older ones should start to forget they didn't know the younger ones. Bantams tend to be a bit more gentle. I would not correct any chickens. Eventually you will try supervised mingling. If they're is any aggression I just separate them out and try again the next day, and the next until everyone gets along for the most part.

 

[thecatumbrella]

You didn't mess anything up. After a week or two the older ones should start to forget they didn't know the younger ones. Bantams tend to be a bit more gentle. I would not correct any chickens. Eventually you will try supervised mingling. If they're is any aggression I just separate them out and try again the next day, and the next until everyone gets along for the most part.

You put my mind at ease! A correction would just be picking her up and giving some pets (they all loathe that), more as a way to knock her out of it. But maybe it's better for her to get any aggression out now while they're fully enclosed.

Do you have a recommended age for supervised mingling? I want to use the panic room concept so they have places to escape to, but I'm worried about the Silkies. One of them has neurological problems (as if being a Silkie wasn't enough of a disadvantage), and one of the big girls loves to chase and peck at anyone who runs. I'm thinking closer to 6 weeks? That will be 3 weeks of protected field trips, and the littles can get feathered in so there's one less target on their backs.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You put my mind at ease! A correction would just be picking her up and giving some pets (they all loathe that), more as a way to knock her out of it. But maybe it's better for her to get any aggression out now while they're fully enclosed.

Do you have a recommended age for supervised mingling? I want to use the panic room concept so they have places to escape to, but I'm worried about the Silkies. One of them has neurological problems (as if being a Silkie wasn't enough of a disadvantage), and one of the big girls loves to chase and peck at anyone who runs. I'm thinking closer to 6 weeks? That will be 3 weeks of protected field trips, and the littles can get feathered in so there's one less target on their backs.

I generally pen them next to each other for 1-2 weeks than start the mingling. Most time mine are 3-5 weeks when I start. Sometimes it goes perfect and sometimes I have to round everyone up right away. I've never used the panic room. I don't always trust chicks to know how to get back. I will make sure there are places smaller birds can slip under or behind if necessary.