introducing new pullets to 2 year old hens

[wahmommy]

I have 4 point of lay (but not yet laying -they look close though) pullets and 2 older hens (2 years old) they are in separate coops. During the day I have put the pullets in a little baby yard covered with chicken wire, and let the hens free range, and they seem to have gotten used to each other. Early on there was a lot of posturing but last time I looked one hen was ignoring them and the other was eating grass right up next to the baby yard and neither side was protesting.

Do I just put them all in together one night? Also, the pullets are not roosting - they are sleeping on the floor of the coop (but they've only been in there one night so far).

My last question is, I know you aren't supposed to put them on layer pellet until they lay because they can't get rid of the added calcium in layer feed- but the older laying chickens need the layer feed... not sure what to do as I won't be able to separate feed..

I can keep them separate until the pullets start laying, but I would love to put them all together in the new coop.

Thoughts?

 

[Johnn]

I have 4 point of lay (but not yet laying -they look close though) pullets and 2 older hens (2 years old) they are in separate coops. During the day I have put the pullets in a little baby yard covered with chicken wire, and let the hens free range, and they seem to have gotten used to each other. Early on there was a lot of posturing but last time I looked one hen was ignoring them and the other was eating grass right up next to the baby yard and neither side was protesting.

Do I just put them all in together one night? Also, the pullets are not roosting - they are sleeping on the floor of the coop (but they've only been in there one night so far).

My last question is, I know you aren't supposed to put them on layer pellet until they lay because they can't get rid of the added calcium in layer feed- but the older laying chickens need the layer feed... not sure what to do as I won't be able to separate feed..

I can keep them separate until the pullets start laying, but I would love to put them all together in the new coop.

Thoughts?

If i was you i would put them in at night so they wake up with each othher and also they can be fed layers pellets from 16 weeks. Some people feed their growers Layers Pellets, its not reccomended but some people still do.

 

[wahmommy]

If i was you i would put them in at night so they wake up with each othher and also they can be fed layers pellets from 16 weeks. Some people feed their growers Layers Pellets, its not reccomended but some people still do.

Okay so if my pullets aren't roosting yet, and I get the hens and put them in the coop, do I just put them all together on the floor?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Feed. You can always feed everyone in the flock a feed they all can eat, regardless of age. GameBird, Grower, All Flock or Flock Raiser, even non-medicated Chick Starter/Grower.

Just offer the layers shells on the side. Normally, only those laying hens, that need the additional calcium, will bother pecking at them.

 

[donrae]

Set the pullets on the roost together, they'll either figure out how to hold on or they'll go down to the ground and sleep there.

I do as Fred talked about for feed--I feed an all-in-one and offer oyster shell on the side. I have different ages/ducks/roosters so don't want to get into the layer feed.

 

[wahmommy]

Set the pullets on the roost together, they'll either figure out how to hold on or they'll go down to the ground and sleep there.

I do as Fred talked about for feed--I feed an all-in-one and offer oyster shell on the side. I have different ages/ducks/roosters so don't want to get into the layer feed.

I am just updating this thread - that's exactly what I did. I kept putting them up on the roost together, and they got the idea pretty quickly and were roosting on their own. I also changed the feed so that I was only feeding starter/grower and oyster shell on the side.

So far, one of the two year old hens is head hen. She leaves the pullets alone unless they look at her funny then she shows them whose boss. So its calmed down and they figured it out. Didn't even take 48 hours.

 

[DGuy]

Great to here. I have a 6 wk light sussex and a 5 week black maran to integrate with a 1 year old easter egger, 2 4 month old EE, a 4 mo. BA and a 3 mo. barred rock. Then a batch of 5 assorted marans thta are about 10 days old now to integrate in 5 weeks. Hope the 2 newbies pave the way for the other 5. Any suggestions would be appreciated. My plan is.

I have a 2 1/2 level 2x4 ft brooder I was going to just carry out to the run during the day for a week. then just the pulets in their own part of the run during the day and set them in the coop at night for a few days and then just leave them together. Repeat again in 5 weeks.