Integration.....what's the deal?

[Happy Chooks]

My first integration into my main flock was tough. The 14 week old new additions (welsummers and BR) were kept in the coop for 2 weeks, chased, pecked, etc. After 2 hard weeks, everything was peaceful again. Well, until my welsummer rooster started climbing the pecking order 1 hen at a time.

So fast forward to now. I went through the trouble to wire off an area with a doorway that only the pullets could fit through, gave them separate food/water. I put the 14 week old Ameraucana's and the 12 week old BCM's in there last night. This morning, I go out and the babies are out in the main part of the coop. The adults come off the roosts and completely ignore them. They eat and go outside. An hour later, the hens and the pullets are all under the coop (it's raining) like 1 big happy family.

Not that I'm complaining, I'd much rather have it this way, but I wonder why? Is this the difference of a rooster's presence? If so, I'm always keeping a rooster.

 

[gryeyes]

I'm still trying to decide when to open the door to the "little kid" enclosed pen to let them join the big chickens. I might try it this coming weekend... when I'm there to observe like The Big Mom With Treats.

Carl the rooster outside the adolescent pen, Laverne (or maybe Shirley) the Welsummer not fazed by him (despite that expression on her beak).

I'm mostly worried about the bantam cochins; the Welsummer, RIR and BR adolescents have accepted them. They were sleeping in the coop in a big pile of six chicks, but now the four LF adolescents have gotten large enough to take up one whole nest box themselves. So the two bantam cochins moved to the nest box right next to theirs.

Yah, yah, I know, sleeping in nest boxes. They're not into using the roost bars inside the coop for anything other than play, right now.

They're perfectly safe in the kit coop and attached pen, and part of me wants to keep them there several more weeks.... I'm a big wuss when it comes to the pecking order process.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yes, the 2 weeks of bullying the last time was hard to watch. But this time is so different, and everything was done the same except making the little hiding area for them. There literally has been NO pecking or chasing at all. And my RIR is not a very accepting chicken, but she's not even pecking them.

 

[Wynette]

I would say it's the weather/time of year you can attribute this to. The reason I say that, is EVERY stinking time I try to intergrate even adults with another flock of adults, if it's winter (spending more time in close quarters...boredom?) the integration takes WEEKS longer than if it's spring or summer when they can get away from each other if they need/want to. JMO!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I suppose weather could be a factor. We're having a horrible rain storm today, so maybe they are all just too busy trying to stay dry. The adults even let the babies have some macaroni and cheese that I took out today.