Integration new additons: barrier or sneak 'em onto the roost in the dark?

[My1stChickens]

I've read extensively on both methods of introductions-- and see pros and cons to each.

Some say you must have them meet through a fence, for weeks or even months, so they can see each other but can't hurt each other. Obviously it's good to keep them all safe. There's a limit to how much they can do through the fence. But there are some significant cons. You have to build that fence. And if I include a separate coop inside that pen within the pen, then how will my new pullets learn to go into the real/big coop? Alternatively, split the big coop and then let each group out to their side of the yard? Geez that's a lot of time every morning, every night.

The other method is to sneak the new hens into the coop and put them on the roost and hope when they wake up no one notices that the flock has doubled. I imagine there's also the possibility that all hell breaks loose at dawn. I guess you could be sure to be there and chase them all out of the coop where there is more room for hens to run for their lives. But this could be messy.

I'm looking for a way that I can keep everyone safe from being brutalized, while they work out their new pecking order and dynamics. I KNOW which of my old hens are the mean girls, vs the humble sweet girls. And I can also see which of the new pullets are mean girls vs timid. There are six old hens (of which two are mean girls and two more than could be fiesty) and five new pullets (really just one mean girl, but two more that could put up a fight). Two timid girls in each group.

My coop is 11'x13' (so more than 100 square feet) with two different roosting areas totaling about 15'. There is ONE door from the coop to their yard, and the yard is about 2000 square feet. The pullets are pretty much the same size as the grown hens. I know I'll need 2-3 feeding and watering stations.

 

[scrambled please]

I use a dog crate for a couple days just so the old girls see them. Then I let them out and see what happens. Usually it’s ok, once I added 5 new girls, the other hens showed them their stuff. When I let the new girls out they were not nice but no blood shed.
I free range but I think as long as they have a safe place and food. I pray a lot too.

 

[ShannonR]

I'm in the "sneak em in at night" camp. Why make more work for yourself?

 

[My1stChickens]

I use a dog crate for a couple days just so the old girls see them. Then I let them out and see what happens. Usually it’s ok, once I added 5 new girls, the other hens showed them their stuff. When I let the new girls out they were not nice but no blood shed.
I free range but I think as long as they have a safe place and food. I pray a lot too.

Did you carry the new girls back to their own coop each night at dusk while they were in the dog crate? With 5 I would need something bigger than a dog crate, for sure.

 

[My1stChickens]

I'm in the "sneak em in at night" camp. Why make more work for yourself?

what happens in the morning? All hell break loose?
And, if the new girls only slept there one night, do they come back in at bedtime?

 

[ShannonR]

what happens in the morning? All hell break loose?
And, if the new girls only slept there one night, do they come back in at bedtime?

They are going to establish their pecking order, on their own terms, no matter what. I believe that by prolonging this experience with gradually introducing, or whatever elaborate methods folks come up with, you are actually prolonging the stress on the new birds, and on the flock as a whole. I guess I see it sort of like ripping a bandaid off quickly, instead of trying to slowly pull it off.

They might not come back into their coop at dusk. Some do, and some dont.

 

[azygous]

Do I have this right? Six original hens and five new pullets? That's doable.

Don't be so quick about dismissing the value of the two groups observing one another through a barrier for a period of several days. They will be very busy learning temperaments and who are the dominant ones, who are the touchy ones, and which are the push overs. Even tiny baby chicks go through this same learning process.

The value of this method is that they do this learning in safety, thus preserving the self confidence of the new, younger pullets, which by nature, will be afraid of the original, older hens. By the time you put them together, the pullets will know which two hens are to be avoided and which ones are safe to turn their backs on.

There probably will be some growling and posturing and maybe some skirmishes. Expect it. Provide, not only more then just a couple feeding and watering stations, but also places to escape to when the pecking order gets overwhelming. I like to stick an old card table in the run for the new ones to hop up onto to nap, eat, and drink.

There's no need to get fancy with a fence. Plastic deer netting will work or a cheap scrap of poultry wire. Improvise with whatever you have around. You will take it down after a week or two.

Tossing everyone in together works for some. But there is a risk to the new pullets, either physical harm or erosion of their self confidence, sometimes resulting in a chronic victim or two, giving you more to deal with down the road.

As for learning to go into the coop at night, you will need to teach them by putting them through the coop door, and then place them on their roosting perches as far away from the older hens as possible. You may do this right away. There will be very little chance of harm when everyone is focused on settling in for the night. Come morning, you will need to get the pullets into their safe pen for the day after the older hens have chased them out of the coop.

Good times.

 

[Mrs. K]

Try this, let the old girls out to free range in the afternoon, lock the new girls into the run and coop. Feed them in all the stations so they find them all, even maybe give them a little chase so they can see where to go, how the hide outs work, they can explore the set up, without being chased for their lives. It also lets the old girls see the new girls in their set up. Feed along the fence on both sides.

Then shortly before dark, let the old girls back in, and the urge to roost will be nearly as strong as the urge to fight. There would be some skirmishes in, but the old girls should go to bed first, then when it gets dark, the young ones will head in. If they want to roost, fine, if not fine.

Then next day, mine have always been pretty good, you can at that time lock up anyone that is too mean. But really chasing 5 new birds will be exhausting work, so as you have nearly equal numbers, it should be pretty good.

However, once in a while, all will pick on one, if pulling the mean ones does not change this, I would cull the victim.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

Try the sneak 'em in, but be ready to do the barrier.
Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.

I like @Mrs. K's idea as an in between technique,
because 'homing' the new birds to the coop is essential.
Definitely want some 'hide outs'....both inside coop and outside.

My coop is 11'x13' (so more than 100 square feet) with two different roosting areas totaling about 15'. There is ONE door from the coop to their yard, and the yard is about 2000 square feet. The pullets are pretty much the same size as the grown hens. I know I'll need 2-3 feeding and watering stations.

Do you keep feed/water inside coop?
Is yard fenced to keep chickens in?

If it all goes sideways, you do have the tractor that could be put into the 'yard'.

I put the six new girls in a chicken tractor for quarantine.

 

[My1stChickens]

Try this, let the old girls out to free range in the afternoon, lock the new girls into the run and coop. Feed them in all the stations so they find them all, even maybe give them a little chase so they can see where to go, how the hide outs work, they can explore the set up, without being chased for their lives. It also lets the old girls see the new girls in their set up. Feed along the fence on both sides.

Then shortly before dark, let the old girls back in, and the urge to roost will be nearly as strong as the urge to fight. There would be some skirmishes in, but the old girls should go to bed first, then when it gets dark, the young ones will head in. If they want to roost, fine, if not fine.

Then next day, mine have always been pretty good, you can at that time lock up anyone that is too mean. But really chasing 5 new birds will be exhausting work, so as you have nearly equal numbers, it should be pretty good.

However, once in a while, all will pick on one, if pulling the mean ones does not change this, I would cull the victim.

Mrs K

I can't ever free range, due to hawk population. But the yard is big enough to split for this purpose. The existing flock would lose access to the coop, in order for the new girls to have a bit of the yard, plus access to the coop. On nice days, the existing flock does not come back to the coop til dusk so they should not mind.

I'd just have to change the little fence panels to first let the old hens in the coop, then change it to let the new girls in. thanks for the great idea.