Introducing my Chicken to my pullets

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JulieJo1216

JulieJo1216

Chirping
5 Years
Oct 17, 2014
54
1
58
Hi I'm Julie a new member. I have a 1-1/2 year old Wyandotte and I'm trying to get her introduced to my 8 week old chicks they are in a large dog crate in the coop with the Wyandotte chicken and she not having it she pecks at then aggressively through the cage and its been 2 weeks. what do I do?
 
Hi :welcome
Glad you joined the flock. I'm afraid you will have to persevere longer with the look and don't touch method if she attacking through the cage. At 8 weeks they are still quite young to be put with a full grown hen especially if she is showing that kind of aggression. I personally would not risk a blood bath with them. Sometimes it can take months to introduce them and even then there will be the usual pecking order scuffles but if the pullets are older and larger that's going to be much better for them.

Good luck with them in the future :frow
 
Welcome to BYC
frow.gif
Ditto the above. She will come round to them eventually, but hold off letting them mingle for a few more weeks. Keep a fence between them so they can see, but not get to each other, so she can't harm them.
 
welcome-byc.gif
So glad you joined us.

Have never had to integrate a new chicken, but sounds quite frustrating. If she doesn't come around as the younger ones get older, maybe isolating the Wyandotte in the dog crate could help?
 
Hi, i have found Wyandottes so docile. I introduced a 30 wk silver laced and unexpectantly a 10 wk gold laced with my other 2, one a leghorn cross isa brown 1 yr old and a isa brown that was about 20 wks.(Unfortunately my other, sister to the leghorn died unexpectantly, so i got another isa brown and put them together straight away).
I only kept them apart at night for a few nights. Like i was told, they sort it out, as long as they are not getting injured. I think it helped they spent the days together first. The only problems i found was with food and esp treats if the newbies got too greedy, they got a peck, they just kept out of the way. After about 2 weeks they were all the best of friends, little one still has to watch out if she oversteps her mark, but she's quick and god love her she doesnt give up. But they protect her at night and look out for her during the day, so its just the pecking order with food...Good luck.
 
welcome-byc.gif
Glad you joined us!

X2 on the other posters. 8 weeks is somewhat young to be introduced to older birds, even gentle ones. I would wait a few weeks and see if your Wyandotte becomes a little more accepting.

Good luck!
 
Agreed that 8 weeks is young to leave them alone together without supervision or barriers.

I began introducing my two 3 week old chicks to the rest of the mixed age flock of 5 through barriers. When they were around 6-8 weeks I began letting them have supervised time in the run with the girls for a ten or fifteen minutes here and there and put them in pet crate in the house at night and then gradually started free ranging them all together. When they were about 10 weeks, I put the crate out in the coop and kept them closed in it. I planned to do this until they were a bit bigger but when they were about 12 weeks, I went out one night to close them in and the two babies were on the top roost with the two top hens so that was the end of me closing them in the crate.

Chickens don't like change so yes, it takes time and patience and even so, they still need to opportunities to work things out. Do you let them mingle at all when you can supervise?
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
frow.gif


Yes, you will need to keep them separated until the chicks are at least 3 months of age. They are too small yet to be in with an adult bird. So keep the chicks in a cage or fenced off area within sight of your adult bird for now. At 3 months you can let them out. Make sure to put out lots of extra food and water stations so the adult bird can't guard them from the chicks. It takes time to mix birds. I mixed in some chicks a few months ago to my adult flock and while they are not aggressive anymore with the chicks, they still squabble and guard water and feed areas. So make sure you have plenty of space and areas to eat and drink.

Good luck with your flock and welcome to ours!
 
Never thought of putting the wyandotte in the dog cage it's large enough for her. Interesting
 

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