Introducing 2 young chicks to existing hen

[nzchickmama]

I have a 5 month old hen (not laying yet) who is recently single and we just bought two 5-week old hylines as her (eventual) companions.

Any recommendations as to what to expect with them getting used to each other?! We’ve got them seperated for now, but they can see/smell each other through the mesh in the run. Earlier I put the little ones in with Dotti to see what would happen and she wasn’t too concerned, but kept pecking their tails and chased them whenever they touched anything of hers (food scraps etc).

The only info I can find online about introducing new chickens talks about having an established flock, rather than just one chicken.

Do I need to wait until the newbies are a bit bigger? Or do we just do small visits together each day?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would keep up the supervised visits for a while. You also may want to make sure the chicks can go under something, or through something to escape if necessary. Things like low pallets, or a fence raised off the ground a bit. Smaller opening in a fence are good too for the chicks to slip through if necessary.

It all depends on your hens temperament, and if there's enough room. I personally don't leave the young ones out with the adults at night until they are 3-4 months old.

 

[nzchickmama]

I would keep up the supervised visits for a while. You also may want to make sure the chicks can go under something, or through something to escape if necessary. Things like low pallets, or a fence raised off the ground a bit. Smaller opening in a fence are good too for the chicks to slip through if necessary.

It all depends on your hens temperament, and if there's enough room. I personally don't leave the young ones out with the adults at night until they are 3-4 months old.

Thanks for that - yeah good idea re having somewhere for the chicks to hide. The little ones are still shut in the coop overnight, whereas the older one prefers to roost out in her run, so they’ll be seperated at night for a while anyway.

 

[aart]

Tiny doors. Tho the newbs might be too big.
I use tiny doors in the separation mesh,
just big enough for the chicks to get thru but the adults can't.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

Multiple feeders and waterers and places to 'hide'.
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/

 

[Mrs. K]

If you can get pallets or something to create a safe zone, where the chicks can eat, and drink and the bigger girl cannot get into it. Make it so the chicks cannot get out of it for a day or two, then lift it off the ground, or whatever so that it is a one way gate, the chicks can fit through, but the big girl cannot.

Then leave them be or just watch. The chicks will venture out and retreat, venture out and retreat, move out a little farther and retreat. The birds will work this out on THEIR TERMS not yours. And in a week, they will be fine and you can remove it.

It does need to be so that the chicks can enter the safe zone from nearly any side, so as they don't get trapped outside of it.

Do it now, don't wait, I have found, that it is much easier introducing chicks to birds, than same size birds to birds.

Mrs K

 

[nzchickmama]

Tiny doors. Tho the newbs might be too big.
I use tiny doors in the separation mesh,
just big enough for the chicks to get thru but the adults can't.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

Multiple feeders and waterers and places to 'hide'.
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/

Awesome, thanks for that! Today I’ll set up some hiding places and a small entry back into their side of the run

 

[nzchickmama]

If you can get pallets or something to create a safe zone, where the chicks can eat, and drink and the bigger girl cannot get into it. Make it so the chicks cannot get out of it for a day or two, then lift it off the ground, or whatever so that it is a one way gate, the chicks can fit through, but the big girl cannot.

Then leave them be or just watch. The chicks will venture out and retreat, venture out and retreat, move out a little farther and retreat. The birds will work this out on THEIR TERMS not yours. And in a week, they will be fine and you can remove it.

It does need to be so that the chicks can enter the safe zone from nearly any side, so as they don't get trapped outside of it.

Do it now, don't wait, I have found, that it is much easier introducing chicks to birds, than same size birds to birds.

Mrs K

Thanks for that! They’ve already got their own “end” of the run which is seperated from big girl, so I’ll make a tiny door into that and also add some hiding spaces in big girls area too!

 

[nzchickmama]

Almost instant success! I gave the littlies several entrances to their side of the run and they’re happily in with the big girl, who is mostly ignoring them. They’re like annoying little sisters - they sneak in and take something of hers, like a scrappy old piece of lettuce, then run off with it back to their side and she gets so annoyed at them Literally exactly what my children do

 

[sourland]

Good luck with the integration. Great suggestions have been given.