Merging two flocks - looking for tips

[MarinR]

That's a really interesting strategy. Things are going very smoothly for now with the sharing of the yard during the day and sleeping in their regular coops at night... No real fights to speak of. Just a the occasional peck here and there. Still wondering what will happen as the cockerels mature. The older one is definitely the dominant one for now simply due to size I think. He actually crowed for the first time today!
I'm not in a rush to have them all sleeping in the big coop. I have a few changes to make before winter anyway. But when the time comes, would you say move them in when they're sleepy or just lock the younger ones out of the little coop and let them work it out?

 

[aoxa]

You could also put the larger birds in with smaller singly at 1 day intervals. Work down pecking order using cockerel from elder batch first. He should quickly secure highest rank in tractor but have too many targets to do real harm. If not problems after 30 minutes, then repeat following day. New dominant will suppress aggression by past flockmates as he asserts his dominance over subsequent introduced birds.

That's really good advice! I have never integrated. They all free range from pretty much 2 weeks on (unless by broody - then day 1). My grow out pen has many small holes around it so they can get out and back in if they need to retreat from a bigger chicken. Never had a death yet!

Example here. This is only if you free range. I have to keep my silkies separate from the other flock because the roosters DO NOT get along. My barred rock would kill my silkie roo if given the chance. Now someone tell me how to kick the older birds OUT of the grow out pen sleeping area. I have a few older birds that enjoy sleeping with the silkies, and they are really big. I have to get them out soon. Too much work to pick each up (chase, catch, move) each one that does not belong. I have around 25 birds that need to move out lol.

 

[Dylan Haley]

i am always adding new chickens to my flock. all i do is keep them seperated for a few days to take care of any sickness and then i just put them in with my other chickens, the more you bring into the flock the better the chickens will take to new chickens. we are able to put chicks about 1 or 2 months old down with our full grown hens and roosters and no one get hurt. they may argue for a few seconds but once they establish a pecking order they are fine. i currently have about 60 chickens of all various ages and 2 royal palm toms and a male peacock and 6 full grown ducks all in the same place and their arent any problems. hope this was helpful.

 

[tamtam84]

But when the time comes, would you say move them in when they're sleepy or just lock the younger ones out of the little coop and let them work it out?

You'll definitely need to move the younger ones into the new coop for a while (probably 4-5 days, depending on how stubborn they are). If you just lock them out of their old coop they won't understand and most likely won't go into the new coop on their own. You'll have to put them in there one by one and lock them up.

We recently integrated our new flock of 7 pullets and 1 cockerel into our existing flock of 4 hens and 1 rooster and it has been pretty smooth. Like you, we kept them separated for a while where they could see but not touch, then one night let them all out together. They did well, so we let them co-mingle after that in the run, but let them go to their separate coops at night. Did this for about a month until the new big coop was ready, then moved them all in at the same time. I think that cut down on fighting, too, because the new coop was new to all of them. Kind of put them all on the same level so to speak.

We really haven't had any bad fights, just the normal pecking here and there. The cockerel is definitely afraid of the rooster and old hens, so he hasn't tried to fight back yet. I fear that the day is coming when he has had enough and fights back though! That might be a rough day!

Best of luck to you!

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

I have integrated 3 times now (only hens, I can't have roosters)
Each time I put the two groups in separate coops and let them out to free-range at different times until the little ones are old enough to eat the same food as the big ones. Then I just open both coops and let them work it out. So far, so good. There is usually a little squabbling at first, usually the older chickens putting the most aggressive younger chickens in their place. I let them sleep in their separate coops until the young ones choose to roost in the big coop. They always eventually do, I think because the roost is higher and safer in the big coop.
The first two times the two groups formed two different flocks, but recently my head hen died and everything was turned upside down. They all hang together now.

 

[dulcimer lady]

I recently merged two flocks and used all the tricks they say to use and it still did not go well. The chickens were grown and had lived right next to each other for months and months and months. The only thing separating them was some chicken wire. They would even sit next to each other with the chicken wire between and eat and cluck and it all looked real nice. But then when I finally had to put them together - no going. There was no peace in the flock at all. And it didn't settle down, even after months. Half were mean and obnoxious and the other half lived in fear and were very stressed. It never got any better either. I recently lost them to a predator, but up until then...they never got used to each other and it was just not good.

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

I recently merged two flocks and used all the tricks they say to use and it still did not go well. The chickens were grown and had lived right next to each other for months and months and months. The only thing separating them was some chicken wire. They would even sit next to each other with the chicken wire between and eat and cluck and it all looked real nice. But then when I finally had to put them together - no going. There was no peace in the flock at all. And it didn't settle down, even after months. Half were mean and obnoxious and the other half lived in fear and were very stressed. It never got any better either. I recently lost them to a predator, but up until then...they never got used to each other and it was just not good.

Did they free-range? I think if you can free-range them for awhile, that's the key. They have plenty of space to avoid each other until they work things out.

 

[dulcimer lady]

Did they free-range? I think if you can free-range them for awhile, that's the key. They have plenty of space to avoid each other until they work things out.

No, that's the one thing I can't really do where I live. Perhaps...maybe I could let them out for like an hour before sunset or just as the sun comes up, lol.

 

[dulcimer lady]

No, that's the one thing I can't really do where I live. Perhaps...maybe I could let them out for like an hour before sunset or just as the sun comes up, lol.

Well, when I get more next spring. The ones I had met their demise recently from some heathen critter.

 

[CP Cathedral]

We had some juvies we started with supervised together time for a few days,. When we saw they were getting along one day we just let them stay with the bigger flock. They got the hang of the new coop within a day and there is no pecking or aggression other than the usual pecking order issues. Since these are about a year younger , they are on the very bottom of the order which is natural. They will grow up soon and find their way up the order .