Need tips on merging 2 flocks.

[Summerbirds]

Hi,I have four hens that are a year old one went broody and hatched six chicks, the chicks are now 2 months old and their mom April was trying to sleep with her old flock but they chased her away.They're already in the same yard and they're okay with that.I need them to go into April's coop cuz there's no space for all the chicks in the older hens coop.

 

[Latestarter]

Not sure I understand... you have 2 coops and you want the chicks to go into April's coop vice the coop with the other birds? Or you want all the birds to go into one coop together? Sorry, could you be more clear/descriptive? Is the issue with April, the chicks, or the other hens?

 

[Summerbirds]

Not sure I understand... you have 2 coops and you want the chicks to go into April's coop vice the coop with the other birds? Or you want all the birds to go into one coop together? Sorry, could you be more clear/descriptive? Is the issue with April, the chicks, or the other hens?

I need all the chickens in April's coop for winter but the older hens peck them and chase them away.

 

[Summerbirds]

Not sure I understand... you have 2 coops and you want the chicks to go into April's coop vice the coop with the other birds? Or you want all the birds to go into one coop together? Sorry, could you be more clear/descriptive? Is the issue with April, the chicks, or the other hens?

I need all the chickens in April's coop for winter but the older hens peck them and chase them away.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The way I think I understand this is that you have two coops. One is the old hens' coop and one is a coop where a broody hen raised her chicks until she weaned them. Both coops share a run. Now you want to move all the chickens into the coop where the broody hen raised the chicks. Somehow you have moved the older hens but they now peck the chicks when they try to sleep in the coop with the old hens. Since she has weaned them the broody hen no longer protects her chicks.

Is this correct or am I totally wrong?

 

[Latestarter]

I'm sorry, I'm old and feeble minded sometimes... So... once again, the other hens ARE using Aprils coop, but chasing April and the chicks away from it? Chickens always "fight" to establish a pecking order. The only way to lessen this (and other behavioral issues) IMHO is to give them more space. I have no idea what size April's coop is, or how many birds you're trying to fit inside it. Large fowl birds need ~4 square feet per bird of floor space inside a coop. More is obviously better. Multiple feeding and watering stations will also allow for less fighting as everyone can eat and drink more easily with less chasing/fighting.

April should be protecting her chicks from the other hens until they are old/large enough to fend for themselves. As RR said above, maybe moma hen is done and the chicks are on their own now? And, I'm sorry to say but some chickens are just plain bullies. This being the case, there is only one option... remove the bully, one way or another.

 

[Summerbirds]

The way I think I understand this is that you have two coops. One is the old hens' coop and one is a coop where a broody hen raised her chicks until she weaned them. Both coops share a run. Now you want to move all the chickens into the coop where the broody hen raised the chicks. Somehow you have moved the older hens but they now peck the chicks when they try to sleep in the coop with the old hens. Since she has weaned them the broody hen no longer protects her chicks.

Is this correct or am I totally wrong?

yes this is correct,except only April is trying to sleep with the older hens,the chicks are scared of the top hen Snowy,cuz she pecks them sometimes if they get to close to her.

 

[Summerbirds]

I'm sorry, I'm old and feeble minded sometimes... So... once again, the other hens ARE using Aprils coop, but chasing April and the chicks away from it? Chickens always "fight" to establish a pecking order. The only way to lessen this (and other behavioral issues) IMHO is to give them more space. I have no idea what size April's coop is, or how many birds you're trying to fit inside it. Large fowl birds need ~4 square feet per bird of floor space inside a coop. More is obviously better. Multiple feeding and watering stations will also allow for less fighting as everyone can eat and drink more easily with less chasing/fighting.

April should be protecting her chicks from the other hens until they are old/large enough to fend for themselves. As RR said above, maybe moma hen is done and the chicks are on their own now? And, I'm sorry to say but some chickens are just plain bullies. This being the case, there is only one option... remove the bully, one way or another.

April just left the chicks,i am not sure how big the coop is,but they only sleep and lay in the coop they are locked up in it in winter and sometimes when we are away,they are in are yard most of the time.They are all bantams.

 

[Summerbirds]

April just left the chicks,i am not sure how big the coop is,but they only sleep and lay in the coop they are locked up in it in winter and sometimes when we are away,they are in are yard most of the time.They are all bantams.

There are 10 chickens soon to be 9 because of 1 being a boy.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That is perfectly normal. Until those chicks reach maturity, usually around when pullets start to lay, the older hens are likely to peck them if they invade personal space. It is the pecking order, older hens often can be kind of vicious when their personal space is invaded by a subordinate, especially a chick. Normally as long as the chicks don't get too close they don't bother them. Having enough room to avoid the older hens is important when you have chicks. Usually the chicks learn pretty quickly to stay away as long as they have room. They are usually the last to go in the coop at night and sometimes they don't want to go in at all.

So what can you do? I don't know how much room you actually have in that coop, hopefully enough. As long as he chicks are not being injured you can keep doing what you are doing as long as they sleep somewhere safe from predators. Once they mature they will join the older birds. You usually need more room for integration than for a flock when they are all mature.

If the chicks start to get injured you might want to move them to the old coop until they mature. Or maybe build a pretty predator proof run around the new coop so you don't have to leave them locked in that new coop for a long time.