Introducing new pullets to the flock

[JuliaAllande]

I have four mature hens and want to add some more. How do I introduce the new ones to the flock? (They are chickies, yet). The biddies go after the new chicks with their sharp beaks and scare both the chicks and me! The bantam hen acts like she wants to join the biddies, but will they attack her?

 

[KimberlyJ]

Yes they will attack and it could be ugly. First of all don't put them together until the little ones are about 16 weeks old. Yes that's sixteen weeks--- as in 4 months. The little girls need to be full size before they "go up against" the ladies. I didn't pay attention to this and I started at 8 weeks; it was way more stressful on the girls and on me than it should have been had I listened. There's some great info one here from someone with alot of experience. I dobn't know where to find it but I will go search for it. Stay tuned

 

[jackson8]

I had the same problem when I introduced three more chicks into the enclosure, I put the chicks in a small cage in the pen so the other hens would get a bit used to the new chicks. After a week I let the chicks out they were about 10 weeks old, there was a bit of push and shove at the start for a few days but now there fine.

Good luck with introducing the new chicks.

 

[KimberlyJ]

I can't find it.

Great article too with pictures even. If someone finds it could you please post it so I can read it again too!!!

 

[henney penny]

If you can try putting them in the coop or run with others in a dog crate or a fenced in part so they can see and hear each other for a few weeks,then the transsion will be a little less stressful for everyone.There still will pecking and hollering due to the pecking order.This is what I did in a corner of my run to introduce the mom and new babies,worked out great for me.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This might be the article KimberlyJ mentioned. I don't do everything exactly as Buff does it, such as wait until 16 weeks, but I think she has excellent advice.

Buff’s Integration
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock

You might check my post in this thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=486909

I've had broodies wean their chicks anywhere from 4 to 9 weeks af age. Those weaned chicks live with the flock on their own without Mama's protection, but Mama had already handled integration. They were still at the bottom of the pecking order and had to determine their position in the flocks they grow up, but at least the most dangerous part of integration was handled by Mama. But I'm not Mama and I don't live with them with the flock. I wait until they are 8 weeks old to start the integration process but I have a tremendous amount of room and I am around during the day. If space were tight, I'd certainly approach it differently, including waiting until they are older.

Hope this helps a bit. Good luck!!!

 

[bakerjw]

It takes time. I had 11 chicks in a fenced in area of the coop with my girls for several weeks so that the girls would know about them and get used to them. It took a couple of attempts at integrating them before things settled down and they would be accepted. My girls are good to people but not other chickens. I had one or 2 hens that would go after the smaller birds every time that I tried to integrate. So I made a 6' diameter pen that I kept in the run. When one of the girls would get aggressive she would be put in the henitentiary for a few hours. Treats also helped a lot. Keep something on hand as a distraction.

As stated size does matter. The new birds should be close in size to the existing flock.

 

[azygous]

The secret of merging young pullets with the older flock is to give them a place where they can retreat to safety. I call it the "panic room", and it's allowed me to merge six-week olds with adults with very little problem.

All you need is a smaller enclosure within the run. I usually partition off a 3'x4' corner of the pen. I start bringing the babies out to spend the day in the pediatric enclosure at around four weeks. After a week or two, I cut small openings into the partitions leading into the larger pen so the tykes can begin to explore and learn to mix with the older girls. They learn very quickly to scoot back into their safe haven when chased and pecked. Their food and water is also inside their safe area, so they are never prevented from getting enough food.

I've also merged six-week olds into the coop. They learn to run out of the coop in the mornings and make a bee-line right for their panic room. At night, they may need assistance for a week or so to go into the coop at night, but I encountered very few problems since the older girls were usually more focused on roosting than harassing chicks. As they mature, they will spend less and less time inside their little pen. By the time they're almost the same size as the adults, it's time to take down the small enclosure.

This panic room method has worked wonderfully well for raising and merging five batches of chicks.

 

[birdmomma]

I have a similar situation as the OP. 4 adult birds with 4 chicks (going on 6 weeks) coming on to the property in a few weeks.
The original birds have a small coop and free-range, and my intention is to put the chicks in the new coop, separated from the adults until they are full-sized. The adults will be able to look at the teenagers, but hopefully not touch. I thought I would free-range them eventually with the adults.

My question is, will the adults then use the new coop, if the young ones have established that as "their" territory? I was planning on moving out the small coop and only using the new, larger one.

 

[Ridgerunner]

For a while, they will probably go back to their original coop to sleep. Eventually, they might all start using the same one, especially if one is nicer than the other, but then they might not. When you want them to sleep together, I suggest you lock them in the coop you want them to use for several days so they get used to sleeping in the larger one. Otherwise they may never switch.