Introducing roosters to hens?

[ChickenKiera]

I have two roosters who are 8 weeks old and what do you think would be the best way to introduce them to the other hens and ducks (they live together)
There are 4 hens and 2 ducks but the roosters are only little so I don’t want them to get bullied.
Is the best way to introduce them by sectioning them off so they can see each other but not touch each other and then in a week I can put them together?

 

[aart]

Is the best way to introduce them by sectioning them off so they can see each other but not touch each other and then in a week I can put them together?

Yes, but longer than a week would be better.

How old are your hens...and are they chicken hens??
Having 2 males with 4 females is rarely a good idea.
Might depend on your housing and/or what your long term goals are.

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.


FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.

 

[ChickenKiera]

Yes, but longer than a week would be better.

How old are your hens...and are they chicken hens??
Having 2 males with 4 females is rarely a good idea.
Might depend on your housing and/or what your long term goals are.

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.


FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.

I don’t know how old the hens are but we are going to get at least another 25 more hens up there which will be better for the cockerels and everything you said about we have (multiple feed and water, lots of space and hideouts)

 

[Ted_Harrell]

aart is right on the money, more time and more food/water. With the larger number of hens coming in it would be easier as the ratio of hens to roos would be better but still it will not be easy, good luck...

 

[Chickassan]

Do know even if you introduce these cockrels perfectly that they're going to get roughed up for awhile, it is just what chickens do "especially older hens in small numbers".

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have two roosters who are 8 weeks old and what do you think would be the best way to introduce them to the other hens and ducks

To me the best way to do this is with a lot of space. I don't mean that 4 sq ft in the coop and 10 sq ft in the run, I mean enough room they can totally avoid each other. Outside space doesn't do any good if they are locked inside but there are ways to help with that. The quality of space you have can be improved by adding clutter, things they can hide under, behind, and over. The way chickens often handle conflict is that the weaker run away from the stronger and quickly learn to avoid them as much as they can. If they don't have enough room to run away and get away or avoid them they can't do that, though getting out of line-of-sight can help a lot. So how much room do you have and when is that room available? What does your room look like? You don't have to answer, just something to think about.

You might need to adjust your expectations some. Chickens are bullies. That's why the young ones try so hard to avoid the older ones, at least after they have been beaten up a time or two. They usually learn really quickly. Don't expect them to be all one happy family until the young ones grow up. Be OK with them not hurting each other for a while, even if they stay apart.

When the hormones hit and those cockerels go through puberty expect changes. Until then the hens are in charge. When the boys' hormones hit they will want to take charge. The hens probably won't like that. It can get pretty violent until the boys mature enough to take over. Even then it can be rough for a while. That's just between the hens and the cockerels. The boys might get petty violent with each other determining which one is boss.

It doesn't always work this way. Sometimes it goes so well you wonder what all the worry was about. But sometimes chickens die in this transition. Usually it's somewhere in between. The more room you have the better this typically goes. I do this type of thing all the time and it's usually not that bad. But I have three different coops or shelters where they can sleep if that becomes an issue. And I have between 40 and over 100 sq ft per bird outside, depending on how many I have at one time. Once every three or four years I do separate cockerels because it gets rough even for me.

I try to let mine control the process. As much as you can let them decide when they want to be together or separate. Don't force them to be together in a small space thinking that will force them to get along. All that does is lead to bullying and violence. For example, I don't care where mine sleep as long as it is predator-safe and not in the nests. When they are ready to move to the main roosts, they will move to the main roosts.

Housing them where they can see but not touch for a while can help. Having widely separated feed and watering stations can help.

Good luck!

 

[ValerieJ]

I don’t know how old the hens are but we are going to get at least another 25 more hens up there which will be better for the cockerels and everything you said about we have (multiple feed and water, lots of space and hideouts)

When you say hens, do you mean full grown? That would require quarantine before the see/don't touch stage. You are better off getting chicks.

 

[HeyHeyWW]

When I introduce adult chickens to my flock, I just leave them with the rest of the flock. If they get attacked, they have a lot of space to run away from them anyway. They'll eventually get used to eachother.

But with younger chickens, such as your 8-week-old chicks, I usually put them in my chicken coop and leave them in there. It's a pretty big coop, and they have a lot of space to dig around and find insects in. The reason I do this with little chicks, is because I had a bad experience introducing a new chick into the flock.

I had a chick about 8 weeks old as well and I left her out with the flock. They would attack her, but she'd run away and would be fine. But one day, a falcon was flying around. All the chickens were hiding except her, because they would chase her out of her hiding space. Sadly, she got taken by the falcon. I wasn't there when this happened, it was a family member that lives next to me who saw it. She couldn't do anything about it since she didn't see the falcon until it grabbed the chick.

So I think that you should keep them separated (if you have any predators where you live). Until their old enough and heavy enough, so a bird can't come and swoop them away.

If you don't have any predators around and you have a lot of space for them to run away from the flock, then you could leave them out with the rest of the flock. But if you feel like they're being bullied too much, you could always separate them. And remember that chickens will always be pecking the others that are a rank under in the pecking order. You don't have to worry about them because the pecking is all normal.