Introduction of new birds????

[bnchristian]

Most everythng I read refers to introducing a couple new birds to a larger flock, but in need to introduce 14 new pullets (I think) . I have 12 mixed hens 5-6 months old (have been laying about a month) and one roo the same age in my coop(12x16) and run (16x20) and the free range several hours most days. I have 14 americana pullets 12 weeks old; I have kept in a seperate high wall stall in the barn since the were 3 weeks old. The new pullets are slightly more aggressive than my hens, because thier mother raised them to 3 weeks and my hens I raised from 2 days. My pullets are quite a bit smaller than my hens still, but I would really like to get them in the flock by the end of the month as it is getting colder at night and the pullets are starting to jump up on the walls. The new pullets are fully feathered they just look like pullets and my hens look like hens.
These hens are my first chickens and I have fallen in love. My girls and my roo, Rose who I thought was a pullet when I named him (he was my favorite little girl that turned into a boy). My husband bought them at Tractor Supply for me for Mother's Day. Beacuse the were on clearence, before we were really ready for chickens. So they lived in our guest bathroom in big boxes under heat lamps for three weeks while we finished their coop and run. And waited for the weather to warm up. We also had six eaters that we introduced a couple weeks after they went out beacuase I did not think the would ever get feathers even though the were huge. The introduction went fine with no upset at all. We had too take 5 of them out of the been because they were all very mean roosters, luckly the were too fat to jump so we but them in a goat stall with 3 1/2' walls for the remainder of thier lives, and the one fat hen is still alilve and well with the layer hens. I think we will keep her even though she lays tiny often soft eggs, because Rose likes her. She is thre times the size of my other layer and boy is she slow all characteristics my rooster finds highly attractive. Okay Okay I will stop carrying on about my chickiesI just love'm

 

[Dar]

ok I hope I am reading this right... you want to know the best way to integrate 2 different flocks?

I just did this with a lot of success but my hens seem to be really laid back.

i added them at night once everyone had roosted and they here in their hierarchy positions.

when I added the new girls over 1 year younger i just placed them on the floor and stood back and watched for about an hour.... no one made a peep... so i shut off the lights and went into the house

the next morning I went to open the chicken door and let them into the run for the day and my "old" girls were all waiting patiently by the door... and the new girls were on the opposite corner...

the new girls did not go out into the run for a few weeks until one day i tossed their butts outside and shut the chicken door and "made them mingle"

we still have 2 separate flocks in one coop and it is obvious I have my BIG EE roo with my old girls and the new girls have their own roo a polish and everyone is happy,

so not only did I introduce 8 new hens but a new roo too

 

[bnchristian]

Thank you I guess I will just have to try and see how it goes
my hens are pretty laid back as well. I am just concerned about the size difference. I may need another roo to do the job well. I read somwhere one roo to 10 hens, but he is doing fine with 12??
Yours remained two seperate flocks??Humm... Oh well al thoose boddies in one space has to be warmer for all. Thank you again

 

[Dar]

i have 15 hens and 2 roos...

i had my flock of 18 month olds...

and my flock of 6 months olds and they were different sizes..

what I mean by 2 remained separate flocks is... you will see my older more mature sophisticated gals

all free ranging together and when their roo call them they all come running...

and you see my babies free ranging and when their roo calls they ignore him

but they all are in the same coop no dividers to separate the flocks the older girls just ignore the younger ones, they let them roost , they let them eat with no problems and even share the same treat bowl

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Well, I had 10 Lav. Ameraucanas that I got at a week old, then a few weeks later I got 5 mutt bantams that were hatched around the same time but from someone else. I kept the bantams inside for about a week but when I put them out in the coop with the "big kids" everyone was about 6 weeks old at that point (I think) and I had the banties in a small cage inside the larger coop. There was some interest and a little pecking but not much. After about a week I would let them spend supervised time with the rest of the flock and then put them back in the cage. After another week I let them out of the cage for good and put them to sleep in where the others were sleeping (inside a dog house

) so the next morning all was fine. When free ranging they all stay in the same area, but in their own groups. So there wont be one group on the lawn and another over where the tractor is parked, but wherever they are there are two groups.

When I got my newest pullet (Waffles/aka Psycho Chicken) they were much older and they didn't take to her at all. She was about 6 weeks by my estimate and they were about 22 weeks. Even though she was bigger than the bantam girls they picked on her so I had to keep her separate. I had her in a cage that they could see her and not get to her. Then I let her stay in one part of the run while the others were kicked out and switched just before bedtime. This week I have been making her mingle as a pp said and there was some initial pecking, but now they just don't even look at her. She stays away from them and acts like a nut if they get close (even if they aren't interested in her) but they don't hurt her. I know that's long, but I hope it helps. I basically did the same thing twice and it worked.

 

[MSBG]

when the hens are ready I guess they will sit on the eggs to hatch babies? If that is how it works will the babies be easily accepted by the others in the flock?
How long will I expect to wait before the hens will sit or hatch eggs?

I have notices that a lot of my eggs are fertilized. I have 8 hens & 2 roos.

These are sexlinks (sp) I am told & the roos are Rhode Island Reds.

And yes I am new to the chicken world but I LOVE MY CHICKENS!!!!


Thank you!!!!
Bettie

 

[Dar]

Quote:
if you notice a hen sitting on eggs and she is broody you should make sure the hen has a safe place to be with the babies.... the other chickens may hurt the babies

 

[Bambi_2006]

My family got our first batch of chickens (RIR, Orpingtons, and Black Stars)

in april and our younger birds(leghorns)

in june, their runs share one side but our bigger hens and roo pick on the younger hens and roo

We have tried lettin them out to free range together but as soon as any of the leghorns leaves their run one look from the bigger hens and they wont attempt to leave the coop

We tried to interduce them early on but the bigger chickens pecked on the little ones heads.

any suggestions will be greatly apprieciated.