Introducing a bought hen and chicks to a cockrel

[AvaPrentice]

Hi there,
Last week I bought 4 hens and 11 chicks at auction. I've had the coop and run sepereated so that they can all see each other but they can't get to each other yet. I bought four pekin bantams, and an unknown breed of hen and her 11 chicks. The hen and her chicks have been living separately from the coop in their own little rabbit hutch but they share an outside area with the bantams and seem to be getting on fine. My problem is I'm nervous about introducing the mother and chicks to my original flock, which consists of a Rhode Island Red cockrel and hen. Both can be aggressive. I'm wondering what would be the best way to introduce them. The bantams seem to be getting on fine with the original flock and the mother. I just don't want there to be too much fighting (I'm aware there will be some squabbles)
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[TheTwoRoos]

So if I’m right everybody can see each other and you want everybody in one cage?
You have two chickens who probably are going to wanna dominate and be aggressive,their very known for it.
How long have they been able to see each other?If over a week they probably have been bickering through they cage.So the chances of a bad fight happening aren’t as likely.I would advise not putting the chicks in there because through the ruckus they can get killed and the mother could even abandoned them from stress.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

So you have for bantams ,that is your four hens?Along with the fifth hen,or is the other for hens Seperate?

 

[AvaPrentice]

So you have for bantams ,that is your four hens?Along with the fifth hen,or is the other for hens Seperate?

I have three bantams, two Rhode Island reds (one is a male and one us a female) and a white hen who is just a little bit smaller than the Rhode Island Red but not much. The white hen is the one with the chicks. No one is in a cage. The white hen with her chicks sleep in a rabbit hutch at night but I let them out during the day and they share the same outside area with the three bantams. The coop is split in two because it has two doors so I was able to make two outside areas where the birds could see each other but they couldn't get to each other. They will have been like this for a week now. Should I let the bantams and the Rhode Island Reds share an area but still keep the mother and chicks seperate until they all settle down and then introduce them?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Yes,once the mother nurses the chicks away take her and introduce her,starting today you can introduce the bantams.The chicks should wait to be introduced until their atelast maybe three months.Although for soem chickens introduceing chicks early is better because their less of a threat.However your setup has them practically where they can see the whole so you could wait a bit longer for chicks.But the bantams can go in right now if you want.

 

[AvaPrentice]

Yes,once the mother nurses the chicks away take her and introduce her,starting today you can introduce the bantams.The chicks should wait to be introduced until their atelast maybe three months.Although for soem chickens introduceing chicks early is better because their less of a threat.However your setup has them practically where they can see the whole so you could wait a bit longer for chicks.But the bantams can go in right now if you want.

Thank you!

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Don't try putting chicks with other grown chickens. Bad idea.
Keep the hen and chicks separate until she weans them, or stops payoinh attention to them. Then you can try introducing them, but be careful.

 

[aart]

Might be too late, but Consider biological/medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
BYC 'quarantine' search


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.

This used to be a better search, new format has reduced it's efficacy, but still:
Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, BUT some info is outdated IMO:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock