Introducing new chickens to flock with old coop and new coop.

matchu

In the Brooder
Sep 13, 2022
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Hello first time poster.
I have 7 chickens (1 barred rock rooster, 1 bantam rooster, 5 hens) all 6 months old.
I am just finishing building a 6x8 coop with 8x14 run.
When I'm finished I want to add 4 more hens around the same age.
Question is how to integrate them.
Option1. I can add the new hens to the new coop and run before the others. The flock I have now I raised from chicks so they free range a lot and could check out the new hens in the nice big coop and run while they free range.

Option2. Let my flock into the new coop and put the new birds in the old coop and let them get to know the new hens while they're in the smaller coop. 20ft away from new coop.

Option3. Add existing birds to new coop and new birds into new coop at night first night. At them in perchs.

Thanks in advance
 

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Hello first time poster.
I have 7 chickens (1 barred rock rooster, 1 bantam rooster, 5 hens) all 6 months old.
I am just finishing building a 6x8 coop with 8x14 run.
When I'm finished I want to add 4 more hens around the same age.
Question is how to integrate them.
Option1. I can add the new hens to the new coop and run before the others. The flock I have now I raised from chicks so they free range a lot and could check out the new hens in the nice big coop and run while they free range.

Option2. Let my flock into the new coop and put the new birds in the old coop and let them get to know the new hens while they're in the smaller coop. 20ft away from new coop.

Option3. Add existing birds to new coop and new birds into new coop at night first night. At them in perchs.

Thanks in advance
Personally I prefer to quarantine new birds for at least a month, BUT it's, again, a personal decision. I definitely recommend keeping them in separate coops regardless of whether or not you plan to quarantine. Have you heard of the "see no touch" integration method? It's the one most people here use when integrating birds. It usually takes a couple weeks for chickens to warm up to each other.
 
If you're skipping quarantine (or have already accounted for that in your time frame) you might be able to get away with putting all the birds in the new set up at the same time - the shock of being in a new set up may be enough to shake up the existing pecking order to allow new birds to join without a see but no touch period.
 
If you're skipping quarantine (or have already accounted for that in your time frame) you might be able to get away with putting all the birds in the new set up at the same time - the shock of being in a new set up may be enough to shake up the existing pecking order to allow new birds to join without a see but no touch period.
Ditto Dat^^^
 
What did you end up doing? And how did it work out? I currently have 4 hens in an Eglu cube. I have a 9x9 coop that we just finished but no one has moved in. I have 8 hens arriving in two weeks. Should I move my girls into the 9x9 now? Or at the same time as the new girls? Or let them stay in their cube for a while and only move the new girls into the new coop? I only have an enclosed run on the Cube -- I won't have a run on the coop -- we free range.
 
What did you end up doing? And how did it work out? I currently have 4 hens in an Eglu cube. I have a 9x9 coop that we just finished but no one has moved in. I have 8 hens arriving in two weeks. Should I move my girls into the 9x9 now? Or at the same time as the new girls? Or let them stay in their cube for a while and only move the new girls into the new coop? I only have an enclosed run on the Cube -- I won't have a run on the coop -- we free range.
I'd wait and put all the birds in the new coop at the same time.
 
I think I would put the old birds in the new coop first. Just a few days, because you have less old birds than new birds. I know a lot of people say a week, but truthfully, mine have always gone back to the coop after one or two nights.

So only after a couple of days, I would add the new birds. There is a lot of them, that will spread out the pecking. Attacking is hard work, and the old ones will get tired of it if there is more young birds. The problem is when you do it the reverse - a lot of old birds and adding a couple of new bird, then everyone gets their lick in and it is a lot.

The new birds will follow the old birds back to the coop.

Mrs K
 

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