Need your help putting the young ones with the old ones

[j&j happychicks]

I have 1 two year old rooster who has his 4 hens same age in one run, I don't know how or when to put the new 24 chicks and 1 surprise rooster approx 8 wks old now in with them or if I should? I don't want fighting I can keep the new rooster in another run with 14 chicks and just put 10 chicks with the older ones. They will be in a coop at night which
I can divide into two. What do you think I should do?

 

[Kittymomma]

I wait until the youngsters are around 14 weeks before integrating. If you can divide the coop for a couple of weeks so the birds can see but not touch it should go pretty smooth since you have so many more young ones then you do in your original flock. It also helps to have a couple of feed/water stations so one or two cranky older birds can't keep the yougsters from eating/drinking.

As far as the roos go you'll probably have to wait and see. You have more then enough hens/pullets for two roos so it will probably come down to space and temperment.

 

[j&j happychicks]

Taming my baby roo he is a cherry egger my older roo is a dorking mix we got him at about 6 months and handled him alot he is so nice and good with us, I'm reading that RIR can be very nasty , should we just keep handling little roo and hope for the best or is there something more we can do?

 

[gryeyes]

The youngsters should be introduced to the older chickens only when they are closer in size, around 12-16 weeks old. However, at 8 weeks I put youngsters into a segregation/integration coop & run, with a temporary fence INSIDE the main run, made with garden stakes and chicken wire or poultry fencing.

That way, they live next to the grown up chickens for a few weeks. They hear each other, see each other, smell each other and get to do chest bumps through the temporary fence and nobody gets hurt.

When I take down the temporary fence, and the youngsters join the rest of the flock, they're not Stranger Chickens and the older ones mostly go, "Oh, it's you. Just remember *I* eat first, and you have to wait!" I also keep extra feeders and waterers, so the older ones can't keep them from eating or drinking.

I've done this five times now, and it works well.

 

[Kittymomma]

j&j happychicks :

Taming my baby roo he is a cherry egger my older roo is a dorking mix we got him at about 6 months and handled him alot he is so nice and good with us, I'm reading that RIR can be very nasty , should we just keep handling little roo and hope for the best or is there something more we can do?

There's a lot of difference of opinion on this, but here's how I do it. I don't handle my roos and while I'm not mean to them at all I don't love on them like I do the pullets. If one of my roos is standing between me and where I'm going I just walk right "thru" him--I'm the boss and he needs to get into the habbit of getting out of my way. When I feed treats I let the hens eat for a bit before I let the roos join them--the roos always get treats too, I just make them wait a minute or two. If a roo tries to mate a hen while I'm in the barnyard I nudge him off (not kick!) of her with my foot. I've had RIR, SLW, EE and BAx roos and never had one go after me or the kids.​