Introducing 17 & 18 Week Old Chickens to Established Flock

[DCFire13]

So last night I decided that it was time for my five 17 & 18-week old chicks to be introduced to the main coop of two 2-year-old Rhode Island Reds (had 6 but a fox got 4 of them while free-ranging). The five ladies have been in a coop and run adjacent to the main coop for over a month, in view of the older ladies, and have had multiple opportunities to free-range as a flock. There has been some pecking and bullying by the two established Rhode Island Reds and the younger ones seem to find a safe place.

Last night, at bedtime, we placed the new birds in the main coop right after the big girls settled down. The young ones huddled in the corner of the coop afraid to jump up on the main roost, or even the temporary roost we added. Today there has been some aggressiveness shown by my older birds towards the newly introduced birds as expected, but now all 5 birds won't come out of the coop into the run. They are just chilling out in the coop.

Is it okay for them to just hang out in the coop, or should I place them in the run and seal off the coop door (both Reds already laid their eggs)? The 5 new birds are pretty much the same size as my Reds, but they act like...well...chickens. haha

My next question is about the feed. We are currently feeding the Reds layer pellets and the young ones are finishing up their last bag of starter feed (non-medicated). I assume with their age, they should be good to eat the pellets, but I am not confident? I have placed two feeders in the main run, one with starter and one with laying pellets and also have two waterers as well. Any help/assurances you could provide would certainly help. Thanks!

 

[Mrs. K]

If you can, put your old girls where you had your pullets. This will allow the young birds to explore the run and coop with out being harassed. Maybe leave them reversed like this for three days.

While that is going on, take a good look at your run, and add a lot of clutter. A ladder, a piece of plywood, pallets, some roosts out in the run.

This does two things, it gives hideouts and places where birds can get away from each other. And second, it changes the run, so that the older birds will not feel quite so territorial in it.

Then let the old girls back into the coop/run, and you should be good.

 

[aart]

My next question is about the feed. We are currently feeding the Reds layer pellets and the young ones are finishing up their last bag of starter feed (non-medicated). I assume with their age, they should be good to eat the pellets, but I am not confident? I have placed two feeders in the main run, one with starter and one with laying pellets and also have two waterers as well. Any help/assurances you could provide would certainly help.

It would probably be OK, but it's best to save the layer until all the youngsters are laying. Many folks feed an 'all flock' or starter/grower type feed full time, with Oyster Shells in a separate container for the laying birds.
The older birds will like a taste of a higher protein feed, and may be molting soon so would be beneficial for them.

 

[DCFire13]

Sorry for not getting back here, been crazy busy. Thank you for the suggestions on both the feed and the run ideas. I've been letting them out together to free range and also letting the older ladies out on their own, to give the young ones a chance to feel at home without the nagging older two. We're 4 days in and while the younger ones are not being harassed as frequently as they were, they rarely come out of the coop when the older ones are in the run. At bedtime the two older ones get up in the roost, while the young ones hang out on the coop floor, even with another lower roost for them to occupy. I also caught one of the young ones camping out in one of the nesting boxes yesterday evening. I don't want to close off the nesting boxes if I don't need to, but obviously can't have them seeking refuge there, especially at night.

I'm definitely going to change some things up in the run using the suggestions above. I am a bit worried about placing the older birds in the temporary coop/run I had for the young ones as I don't have any nesting boxes built for them. Any suggestions for that?

As far as the feed is concerned, the young ones appear to be eating their feed pretty exclusively, the older ones are sampling everything.. haha I have been throwing down some scratch grains and of course trying to entice the older ones to play nice with treats, but it's not working.. haha

Thank you for your help and guiding me through this process. I certainly did not expect this process to be as tedious as it has been, especially with the care and concern I put into the process up to this point.

 

[Sequel]

I feel for you! As far as nest boxes go you can put a pet carrier in there with some bedding, they should use it. They may complain, lol. When I first got mine they spent the night in a large rabbit hutch and I moved them into a dog kennel during the daytime with a pet carrier for a nest box.

The sleeping in the nest box drives me nuts! I have a 3 1/2 year old Salmon Faverolles who would sleep in the nest box unless I put her on the roost. It got so that she would pop out of the box when I went in the coop and wait for me to pick her up. Finally I put up a lower roost for her and she does it herself now. You could try putting them on the roost at dark and maybe they'll get used to it.

It sounds like you're paying attention and as long as there is no blood it should sort itself out. If you're only 4 days in don't worry too much, with time and growth things will change fast. I know it's stressful, you want them all to get along and be happy, but chickens will be chickens, haha! Good luck to you and your chickens!

 

[Mrs. K]

Any box will work, or even a nest on the floor of just bedding, with a piece of plywood leaned over the top. Mine love a new nest. If I have a sudden drop in eggs, I know they have created one in a new spot.

 

[DCFire13]

So I did three days in the temporary coop for the big ones and the little ones loved their newfound freedom. I added a swing, another roost, a dust bath and even shifted the food and water around in the run. Placed the big girls back in the run and the little ones went running to the coop. They are spending all day up there, I check periodically to see if they come down and I have yet to see them down in the run with the big girls. I am about to go away for three days and I am concerned my little ones will starve to death. Someone, please reassure me that if they are hungry enough, they will come down and eat and take the ass whooping from the big girls to do so? This seems insane to me?

 

[DCFire13]

Oh and as far as the health of them all, they all look great. There are no injuries to any of them and they don't even look stressed? I mean, it's like we have two high school cliques that refuse to hang out with each other. As far as roosting at night, 3 of the little ladies will get up on the high roost with the older girls, while two stay on the lower roost.

 

[Mrs. K]

If they are starting to roost together - you are closer to golden. In you description, I don't see any mention of mini walls or pallets leaned up again a wall. A feed station that while eating at it, a bird cannot see birds eating at another station would really help. Just a scrap of plywood, or a box, can block the view. Being as you have 2 older birds, set up 3 feeding spots, they can't guard all of them.

They will be two separate clicks until the young ones start laying. Laying an egg really seems to make you an acceptable chicken. Until then, they will be two social groups.

If they are not bloody, I think you are nearly there, and could leave without too much worry. Generally speaking a bird won't starve to death in 3 days, if you are really worried for that time period, put a feed bowl in the coop too.