Introducing 4 pullets to 4 1yr old hens

[ChickenTenderz]

I have four Black Australorp pullets (hopefully) that are 5 weeks old. I need to integrate them with our four 1 yr old Rhode Island Red girls. Sooner rather than later because their brooder is smelling up our sunroom! I let them all free range in the backyard together with supervision. So far the big girls avoid the Littles like the plague, hiding under bushes and staying at the perimeter of our fenced in yard. I I have a 10x10x6 dog pen surrounding the coop where the big girls stay at night and don't have room for a separate pen for the Littles except maybe blocking off a section in the coop like a chick panic room.
What is the best way to have the big girls to meet the Littles and get introductions and pecking order out of the way so it's safe to put them all together in the coop?

 

[Mrs. K]

Lock your old birds outside of the run, let the chicks start in a safety zone. Sit out there with them, and when they finally venture out, give a mock chase so they scurry back. Not to keep them there, but rather to show them that is a safe place. I like a fence just a couple of inches off the ground. Have a feed bowl and water in the safety zone.

The first night, just put the chicks back in the brooder. Let the old girls in. Next day repeat. Now, late in the afternoon, let the old ones back into the coop run, and watch carefully.

My chicks sleep in a small dog crate, they go into it, and I put it in the coop. Eventually I just leave it in the coop, and they return there at dark.

Generally the chicks are as quick as lightening. I have pallets laying flat on the ground, walls up against the out side edge of the run, and roosts. What is most important is places where the chicks can get away and out of sight.

Mine are safe in the coop/run in 3 days.

Mrs K

 

[ChickenTenderz]

I haven't moved them out permanently yet (maybe after this next coldsnap passes) but I put the babies in a dog kennel next to the run so the big girls had no choice but to be near them. I left them like that for several hours. Then I put the babies in the run with the big girls and stayed nearby. We only had one hen that wanted to peck them and assert her dominance but she does that with the other hens too. After a few hours of sharing the chicken run I let them free range and they divided into two groups with out any incidents except the big girls eating all of the chick starter.
I just brought the babies back into their nice clean brooder and they are all on their little perch napping. I would call the official introductions a success!

 

[ChickenTenderz]

When I got home yesterday our 6 week old pullets had figured out how to escape the brooder and had explored the sunroom where their brooder is, and pooped everywhere even knocked over a potted plant! Thankfully it looks like they stayed in the sunroom and didn't venture to the rest of our house.
BUT that was their last day inside. If they are so big they can push the covering off the brooder and escape then they can move out to the coop with our big girls.
I cleaned the coop and put down fresh pine shavings inside. We moved them out just before dark and made sure they were comfy on the highest perch above the big girls. The big girls weren't thrilled at first and I had to coax them to go for the night.
I ran out first thing this morning and everyone seems fine. It's supposed to be a rainy day here so they will have plenty of time to finish getting used to each other.

 

[ChickenTenderz]

Our most dominant hen has been chasing and pecking the babies. I though it would have stopped by now but I found the babies all huddled in a nesting box last night. When I went to move them to a perch for the night, the same hen pecked at them from her roost and even peck me and drew blood! I put her in solitary confinement so hopefully she will calm herself down. Any suggestions on how long I should keep her isolated?