Merging two flocks - looking for tips

[jackhorn01]

I don't have a rooster nor will I have one in my current set up. This being so, I can put them all together with much more ease right? I currently have 6 rhode island reds and want to get a few barred rocks and golden sex links. All will be hens. As long as they are close in size I may be able to let them in the coop and just kinda watch closely for a few days? This will be my first merger lol.

 

[milo1108]

Yea just throw them all together at night when they are all sleeping, quarantine of course and then go about like normal. They will have a few squabbles but its normal.

 

[alisasee]

Pfftt! Yeah ,right! lol... I've been trying to merge my girls ...going on 2 weeks now. I tried " throw them all together at night when they are all sleeping, quarantine of course and then go about like normal."
The older sexlink hens are bullies. They run off the younger RIR, & won't let them near the food & scare them.
I have a system now. During the day I separate them..the young ones in the run/coop, the older ones free range in the open pen. Late afternoon I let the older ones out into the backyard to free range and then I open up the run for the young ones to free range the open pen. Even while I have all this separation going on, the young hens continue to hang out in the coop most of the day. Come dusk I open up the gates so they all go up and roost in the coop. I have been making them all roost together at night in the coop. At first there was a lot of squabbling. It's gotten better.
Next week I'm going to let them mingle during the day in the run & open pen. We tried to do this a couple times but I think the "look and don't touch" method is necessary until the young hens build their confidence. Reading this helped a lot.
MERGING AND ESTABLISHING A NEW FLOCK

http://www.bhwt.org.uk/cms/merging-and-establishing-a-new-flock/

In addition to all of this, I'm still trying to get the new hens to the point where they will let us handle them without them being stressed out. And here I thought owning chickens was going to be easy!

 

[milo1108]

Throwing them all together at night has always worked for me, I guess different birds need different things. Though on the other hand I don't have multiples of certain birds. Some people say that similar birds stay together and bully other ones.

 

[chickenlover89]

Pfftt! Yeah ,right! lol... I've been trying to merge my girls ...going on 2 weeks now. I tried " throw them all together at night when they are all sleeping, quarantine of course and then go about like normal."
The older sexlink hens are bullies. They run off the younger RIR, & won't let them near the food & scare them.
I have a system now. During the day I separate them..the young ones in the run/coop, the older ones free range in the open pen. Late afternoon I let the older ones out into the backyard to free range and then I open up the run for the young ones to free range the open pen. Even while I have all this separation going on, the young hens continue to hang out in the coop most of the day. Come dusk I open up the gates so they all go up and roost in the coop. I have been making them all roost together at night in the coop. At first there was a lot of squabbling. It's gotten better.
Next week I'm going to let them mingle during the day in the run & open pen. We tried to do this a couple times but I think the "look and don't touch" method is necessary until the young hens build their confidence. Reading this helped a lot.
MERGING AND ESTABLISHING A NEW FLOCK

http://www.bhwt.org.uk/cms/merging-and-establishing-a-new-flock/

In addition to all of this, I'm still trying to get the new hens to the point where they will let us handle them without them being stressed out. And here I thought owning chickens was going to be easy!

I just put mine together, and they do fine. giving them playdates for a while when they are freeranging helps, I have gone from 2 to 4 to 6 to 7 chickens, and it has always worked (i also may have roosters, but we aren't sure)

 

[MissusC]

Merging isn't going over well here either. I have 5 "big" girls (22ish weeks) and 3 little girls (9ish weeks) and this has been the setup during the day for the last 3 weeks or so.




Little girls in the pen, big girls in the yard. I have let the little girls out three times now to range with the big girls and the big girls are really bad. The worst seems to be the Bantam Cochin (the smallest one, lol). She actually grabbed the little BOs wing and wouldn't let go until I got her with the squirt bottle. The BO was, of course, screaming the entire time. One of the little girls (the largest, a welsummer) is the only one that holds her ground. She will puff up her feathers and stretch her neck and yell right back.

Do I just keep doing this? I don't want to "interfere" but these girls are out for blood. I never realized chickens were so bloody violent.

 

[centrarchid]

MissusC,

With your case, can you reverse housing arrangements placing big birds in coop and letting little one free-range? Keep that for a couple days then release only one of the older birds each day.

 

[Birdgirl99]

Mine are pretty much like that i put 2 4 week old Americana pullets along with 2 2 week old black stars in with my 3 girls 1 3 year Rhode island red hen 3 year old black star hen and 7 month old buff orpington pullet and they did just fine not one peck now they have been together 3 months and still no pecks

then again other peoples chickens are probably more mean than mine i got mine all at 1 day old and are hand raised so most aren't like that though

hope they do all right

 

[Birdgirl99]

yes most chickens are mean but againi raised mine right from my hand to this day and they are really sweet

my 3 'big' girls are my avatar