Introducing new lone chickens

[Diveks]

Hey everyone, one of two of my polish hens passed earlier this week and I don't want her to be lonely so i got 3-4 month old hens, (sebright, bantam cochin, and a younger brahma about the same size). I also have a lone bantam cochin roo thats really attached to people. Im not sure how to introduce them all since the new ones came from the same breeder but they might have been raised in different areas so nobody has a pecking order over anybody yet they are all lone chickens. The rooster is a very paranoid roo think he might be nearsighted, sudden noises just make him go crazy.

How should i go about introducing them? Maybe just put them all out in the yard so they can figure out the pecking order? The polish hen is a very dominant girl, she was the dominant one over her sister and another chicken i had (had a disability though and passed at 3 so now shes lonely). I have tried for 2 days to let the roo and polish see each other and opened the door today. the roo was very submissive she pecked him twice and now everytime she just looks at him he bolts (might change as he gets older though). They are still 100% supervised when they spend time together. Should I start by introducing them both first and the 3 new additions and then introduce them 2 to 3 or just introduce them all together?

 

[aart]

How long have you had the new ones?
How old is the male...is he new too?

How are they housed now?
Pics of coops and runs would help.


Here's some tips about....
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/

 

[Diveks]

How long have you had the new ones?
How old is the male...is he new too?

How are they housed now?
Pics of coops and runs would help.


Here's some tips about....
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/

Still quarantining the new additions, the male i hatched out myself from a bunch of eggs and only he hatched out he is now about 3-4 months old. They are housed in a 4 x 6 coop and maybe around 10 x 10 run? im not the best at calculating to feet but around there. So i think it would be better to introduce all of them in neutral ground maybe? but all 5 together so they figure it out and nobody gets picked on since they are all strangers to eachother.

 

[aart]

im not the best at calculating to feet but around there.

What do you measure in?
I can calculate it.

Is the male now living seperately?
I'd introduce him to the new pullets first.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would add hide outs, and put them all together, they are all strangers. There may be a dust up or two, but I think it would settle much faster, if you just observe, and do very little reseparating them and re putting them together, that just drags it out.

Put them all together, let them have a dust up, only breaking it up if they really get out of hand, once they stop, but do not separate them, unless in a see, no touch situation. Every time you take them apart, it is a new do over.

Mrs K

 

[Diveks]

What do you measure in?
I can calculate it.

Is the male now living seperately?
I'd introduce him to the new pullets first.

the run is 3x3 meters and the coop is 1.5 x 2 meters maybe a few cm off. And yes the male is still living seperately, i might try to do that, actually all the pullets are still in different living quarters though so they do not know eachother do you suggest that I introduce 4 of them to eachother first then the original hen? well i have a feeling it might work if she still stays very protective of the coop even in 1 vs 4 situations.

I would add hide outs, and put them all together, they are all strangers. There may be a dust up or two, but I think it would settle much faster, if you just observe, and do very little reseparating them and re putting them together, that just drags it out.

Put them all together, let them have a dust up, only breaking it up if they really get out of hand, once they stop, but do not separate them, unless in a see, no touch situation. Every time you take them apart, it is a new do over.

Mrs K

i might try doing this first as the hen will not be able to know which one to challenge first so its all even, although if she is still too aggressive even with this I might try introducing the new ones together first.