Merging the flock

[RoyalCoopMom]

Ok Just wanted to share what I did last fall to merge two new hens with two existing hens. It seemed to work but maybe I am circumventing natures pecking order some how. Here's what I did.

My run is long and skinny with a coop on one end. I put a temporary coop (washer box covered with a tarp) on the other end and divided the run in two. The new chick space was considerably smaller but still ok for two birds. Spent two weeks look but don't touch allowing each group to free range separately. After two weeks I switched the older girls into the temp space and let the new girls learn the new coop without the older girls to bother them. 4 days later I moved one of the older girls in with the new ones. and 4 days after that moved the last one over. She was not a good girl at first until I sent her back to chicky jail then the second time I merged her she was much better behaved.

I'm planning to use this process again this year to introduce 5 new pullets to the older 4. the pullets will be smaller than the older girls while last fall everyone was full grown. Is this a good approach or am I going to end up with neurotic hens?

 

[Mrs. K]

You are basically doubling your flock, so you need to double your space. Lack of space cause the most problems, lack of hide outs, lack of ways for chickens to get out of each others way.

However, adding 5 new to 4 old, will not be as big of a problem, the more you add, the better it goes, as a bird can only do so much pecking (being mean takes energy) and there will be 5 to spread it out on.

The see, no touch works well for a lot of people. But do not forget to add hide outs, extra feed bowls and waters, and a mini wall where a bird can eat out of the sight of the other main feeder.

I just added 10 2 week old chicks to my flock, so far it is going well. Some thing that adding younger chicks are not as threatening to the old birds.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

I'm planning to use this process again this year to introduce 5 new pullets to the older 4. the pullets will be smaller than the older girls while last fall everyone was full grown. Is this a good approach or am I going to end up with neurotic hens?

Sounds like it worked well, nice Chicken Juggling!
How old were the 'new hens'...and the existing ones??

Not sure it will work again...depends on how big your coop and run is.
Is it big enough for 9 full grown birds?
How old will the pullets be when you get them?

I brood chicks in coop 1 week after hatch and integrate at 4 weeks.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

 

[RoyalCoopMom]

Thanks for all the tips AArt and Mrs K. The older chickens are 2 - one year old a two year old and a 3 year old the 3 year old is a barred rock. the others are white legghorn, adulsian and a non whit leghorn. The new girls are 4 weeks easter egger, salmon favarolle, welsummer an olive egger and a golden comet. I have plenty of space. two water a feed locations I'll add some more to be sure. and maybe I'll merger earlier than I had planned. Was going to wait till 10 weeks but maybe in the next couple weeks.

 

[aart]

and maybe I'll merger earlier than I had planned. Was going to wait till 10 weeks but maybe in the next couple weeks.

You'll still want them living in a 'see no touch' scenario for at least a week before allowing them physical contact...but the theory is that tiny chicks are no threat to the territory so older birds won't attack as they would older birds, plus tiny chicks are fast and hard to catch. I've found it to be true....but still follow the basic integration 'rules'.

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.

 

[RoyalCoopMom]

If I merge baby chicks early how to I feed the chicks chick feed and the adults layer feed? i know you shouldn't feed layer feed until they are ready to lay. In the past I have just merged the flocks when i run out of chick starter usually about 12 weeks still early but 4-6 weeks seems really early.

 

[bruceha2000]

I wouldn't sweat it @RoyalCoopMom. My 2015 mail order chicks were broody raised from about 4 days. They had their chick starter in the brooder area of the coop but they and "Mom" were let out after the other hens were let out of the barn for the day. The coop is a converted horse stall, the alley is their indoor run and they can go outside the barn anytime they want after I open it in the morning.

The chicks started going up on the hanging feeder (in the coop) full of layer feed at about 2 weeks. They still had their starter in the brooder area but I guess they wanted to be like the "big girls". You can always feed an "all flock" and should have separate oyster shell available regardless of what feed you are using.

 

[RoyalCoopMom]

Tell me more about broody raising baby chicks. Do I just pick a hen, put her in my brooder box and hope she adopts them. I've never had a broody hen so I don't know what to look for. Usually I start them in a dog cage maybe 3 square feet then add an appliance box about two weeks. when I'm ready to merge I add the appliance box to a bit of the run adding another 10-12 square feet. Would I just start at stage 3 and slip the hatchlngs in at night? I use a heating pad "mama" to brood. I could leave that in until I'm sure the Hen has adopted them.

 

[aart]

I feed a 20% protein 'all flock type' feed and provide a separate container of oyster shell for the layers. Layer feed is usually about 16%, too low for chicks growth IMO and the higher calcium is not great for them.

Tell me more about broody raising baby chicks. Do I just pick a hen, put her in my brooder box and hope she adopts them

No, you have to wait until you have a broody hen. It's hormonal, they usually don't go broody when you want them too.

 

[bruceha2000]

Tell me more about broody raising baby chicks.

The hen has to be broody to start with, kind of comatose in the nest box. Timing is everything. In 2015 Zorra went broody late May and I ordered chicks for the second week of June. I moved her from her nest to the brooding area in the coop a few days before the chicks were supposed to arrive. She was just as happy to "incubate" her 3 plastic eggs there as she was in the nest box 2' off the ground and no place to raise chicks.

The chicks get stuffed one at a time under the hen's wings (from the back) at 0 dark 30, meaning so dark you can't see a darn thing. Use a flashlight with just enough light on the hen to tell the front from the back. If all goes well you show up in the morning before you expect her to wake up and discover her eggs had "hatched". They may not take to the chicks though I understand they generally do. She raised them for 2 months, laid an egg and said "What chicks? I have no chicks" and ignored them. As recently as the day before she was still defending them against anything that moved.

Didn't work for me last year even though I timed the chicks to come the last week of April when at least 1 of the 3 I have that go broody multiple times a year is broody. Anais was broody the week before but when I put her in the brooder area she kept hightailing it back to the nest box she had been hogging. The kids were "raised" by their MHP cave. She's broody again starting last week. I moved her to the brooder area Sunday night and put a lid on it so she couldn't escape. She was up and active Monday morning which is not normal "broody without fertile eggs" behavior. I gave her some food and water, she made use of both. Again not usual behavior. But she screamed at me when I offered her scratch in the evening - that is usual behavior. She wasn't interested in the BOSS this morning so I have my fingers crossed that the 6 I got this morning can go under her tomorrow night. If not they will be MHP "raised" in the coop same as last year's chicks.

All that said, last year Zorra decided to be nanny to the chicks when they were 3 weeks old. They never went to her for heat or sleeping with/under but she became their guardian/protector nonetheless.