New birds integration...UPDATE: DAY 4...free range!!!

[Jeffross1968]

UPDATE: Day 3:

So today, we are off to take the kids to swim at Looking Glass Falls in Transylvania County. This will be the birds first day without human supervision. As of this morning, we have removed the most aggressive bird, which has been identified here as a rooster, leaving us with one rooster, 9 hens in the new coop/run. We are giving the rooster away this morning. When I opened the door this morning, they all filed out nicely and began to eat. But this rooster caused problems from the second he came out of the roost, pecking and pulling feathers, and chasing birds. Had to do it.

Now we'll see how things are when we get home from our first day away since integration. Wish us luck!!!

 

[featherz]

All that is pretty much normal. I have put groups together twice (all hatched here, but brooded separately) and both times I had grand plans of side by side pens and all sorts of 'see but don't touch' scenarios and in both cases I gave up and just threw them together, standing by with a hose and a net. They were all approximately the same size at the time, and except for some pecking/chasing/chest bumping it worked out. I think it took about a month before everyone acted like they were a group, maybe a bit longer for some. Now they are all best buddies.

 

[Animalian]

I have two 2 year old hens, and now two near POL girls. I kept the coop and cage next to each other for two weeks, fed scratch either side of the wire so they (kind of) ate together. Once they stopped looking aggro at the site of the new birds I let them free range in the same area.

It's weird, my less dominant hen is the most aggro, she even jumped on the newbies backs to pin them down and peck their heads. I think she's over reacting because she's thinking she needs to be in charge of them so she doesn't get any lower in the pecking order

My dominant RIR hen (who thinks shes a roo) however is very tolerant, the worst she'll do it puff out her neck feathers and advance on the newbies. The newbies run for their lives!!

They'd run around the yard very... "us and them" the pairs at either side of the garden. Then I heard about people making a ruckass to spook the hens a little so they gather together and bond . So I let my dog out with me and the chooks! It really worked, he distracted them from each other, he just gets close and stares. They grouped together and once the chicks realised the RIR would chase the dog off if he got too close to them they stuck to her like glue!!!

They're starting to really like each other now, all dust bathing together in the sunshine when I let them out together

So I'd definatly try some distraction techniques!

 

[Jeffross1968]

Quote:
Very interesting. I think maybe if things do not calm down in the next day or two, I'll do that. I wasn't home to watch today, but I don't see any signs of chaos.

 

[Jeffross1968]

Well, day 4, and we decided to let them out to free range. I know a lot of people state a week to 2 weeks, but we just felt they were ready, and that it would remove some of the remaining stress from integration. They've done extremely well today. Didn't get any eggs from the new girls in 2 days, but we expected that. I'm sure what we got those first 2 days were already in production. Hopefully they'll all return to the coop/run when it's time tonight, but if not, we're ready and confident we can get them back with the chicken call and some treats.

For fun, here is a little video of our morning chicken train to the breakfast line as I open the chicken door...