Minor issues with new birds in flock

[Murdy]

I'm hoping that this is not a major issue, but I'd like some reassurance and advice.

A week ago I had 14 9 week old mixed breed/sex birds. We've raised them from about 2 days old. At 9 weeks, 2 of the biggest roosters started to crow, so they are gone along with 4 more that were obviously roosters. 2 days later, another stated to crow! WTH!? I'm now down to 7 of the originals. I'm unsure of the sex of the remaining ones... but they are mostly hens. I've got 2 americauna (I think 1 pullet), 1 white chantecler (pretty certain a pullet), 3 icelandics (really unsure on the sex of them) and a random pullet (unsure of the breed).

Anyways, I decided to take advantage of an opportunity to grab a few orpingtons pullets. They are a little older at about 17 weeks or so. I figured this would work well as the orpingtons are known to be very submissive, so maybe their bigger size would help them through this. I've noticed a little squabbling (mostly the existing flock picking on the orpingtons) and they are completely separate throughout the day. The 3 new birds hang out together all day, seemingly hiding form the rest of the flock. If I let them, they'd stay in the coop all day in order to avoid being around the other birds. I let them just do their own thing for 5 or 6 days, but the last 2 days I've been kicking them out and blocking off the coop so they are forced to socialize. Still no change. No major abuse, but a little squabbling. Oh... and the new birds sleep sitting in the nesting boxes (uncovered) while the rest are roosting up in the trusses of the roof.

To introduce them to the new flock I followed a little procedure I found online...
Steps
1. Kick existing birds out of the coop in the morning and put the new birds in there, locked in, so they can get used to the coop.
2. After 4 hours or so, kick the existing birds out of the run, and give the new birds the run (locked out of the coop)
- They can now see each other and start to get used to each other (this may have been ineffective as this was the first day that the old birds were given free range of my yard, so they likely paid very little attention to the new birds)
3. After a few hours, let them all hang out together
4. Once the existing flock goes in to roost for the night, put the new birds in the coop.
5. In the morning they should be incorporated together. But they are not.

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Just be more patient? I'm mostly concerned because I have to go out of town on Tuesday for a week... and I would really like them to have things sorted by then.

Thanks Chicas and Chicos!

 

[sourland]

Give them time. Chickens hate change and are slow to adapt to new environments and social structures.

 

[Pghelp]

Patience and observation. Make sure there are sufficient hiding places do the new ones can escape when they're tired of the squabbling. They will learn to get along but they do it on their time, not ours!

 

[Murdy]

Ok, great! Thanks for the replies.

Should I be putting the new birds in the coop at night or kicking them out in the morning? Or just leave them be?

 

[Pghelp]

As long as there's no fighting and bloodbath in the coop, let them sleep together. Don't worry about the young ones sleeping in the nesting boxes. They won't do that forever. The older ones may be keeping them off the roosts.

 

[Murdy]

Well... The new additions would have slept outside, but we grabbed them and put them up in the roost with the others. We'll see.... Hopefully that helps.

 

[aart]

In the morning they should be incorporated together. But they are not.

Of course not, it takes more than a day.

Just be more patient? I'm mostly concerned because I have to go out of town on Tuesday for a week... and I would really like them to have things sorted by then.

Yep.
How big is your coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.
Who will be tending to the birds while you are gone?

 

[Murdy]

Of course not, it takes more than a day.

Yep.
How big is your coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.
Who will be tending to the birds while you are gone?

They've been together for 9 days now.

Won't have time for a pic... But the coop is 8'x4', and the run is 12'x8'. Plenty of roosting spots and Things to climb on as well.

My daughter will come feed and water every 2-3 days... Although from what I've seen, they'll be fine for a week.

 

[Murdy]

Not sure why these pics seem to be glitching.... But you should get the idea from the 2nd pic.

 

[Murdy]

Well... For anybody keeping track... I put the new birds up in the roost right beside the rest of them and that really seems to have made all the difference. There are still 2 distinct groups, but the new girls are now going in and coming out at the same time as the old flock. They're also roosting now too.... Admittedly, a rung lower than the rest of them, but it's a start.

Thanks all.