New chick integration; 7 existing + 5 new chicks

[Fire-Chicken]

My Coop & Run Facts:

Coop is 8'x6'
Open floor plan with three nesting boxes
15 linear feet of roosting space (I plan on expanding that to 20)
The coop is on stilts (like a stilt home) with the floor of the coop 2' off of the ground
(I sound like a realtor!! LOL)

Run is 8' x 16' and completely roofed; they always have quite a bit of shade available
Run is attached to the coop (they have free run of both sections; underside of the coop and the run) and is WELL PROTECTED.
Under the coop is Chicago red brick to keep things clean and cool.
The rest of the coop is natural dirt/sand.
There are cypress stumps and branches for playing/roosting on and around

 

[Fire-Chicken]

Here is the coop, with makeshift sections for the 5 new birds, for the see, no-peck integrated living quarters.
The coop section for the newbies is 5’x 3’
The run section for the newbies is 6’ x 3’

 

[3KillerBs]

Looking good!

 

[Fire-Chicken]

We just let them intermingle, on common territory, just yesterday for about an hour. There was very little aggression from the original group, except for one bird and just a little bit from another. Other than that it was really calm. They were separated onto their respective groups, at bedtime. They actually did that on their own!

FYI - we have 7 original girls which are 8 months older than our new ones. We are adding 5 girls to the mix; total of 12 hens.

The older girls - 2 Swedish Flowers, 2 Welsummers, 2 Speckled Sussex, 1 Cream Legbar

The new girls - 2 Blue Copper Marans, 2 Olive Eggers, 1 Cream Legbar

 

[Fire-Chicken]

Since they only intermingle on common ground, outside of the coop (in about a 50’ x 50’ area), that is where I have the safe place for the young-ins to escape to. When I remove all barriers in the coop/run, I will bring in the safe place for an extended period of time until things settle down and the pecking order has been reestablished.

So, based on my information, and being brought up to speed..any further suggestions?

How many times should I let them intermingle on common grounds, before removing all barriers and allowing them to roost, eat, play together?

 

[Mrs. K]

You have done way more than me, and are way more patient. If they got along outside, I would remove the barrier in the run, wait two days, remove it in the coop.

I would have hidden food bowls, so that a bird eating at one feed bowl is out of sight of birds eating at another. Just a small piece of cardboard, or plywood can create a mini wall that you can set a bowl behind.

But to be honest, I think you are golden, and I would be quite surprised if you had any more problems if you tore down all the separation wire.

Mrs K

 

[Fire-Chicken]

Many thanks to all of you, who provided recommendations and feedback. The integration process went off without a hitch, and the best part, minimal squabbling and zero fighting. Probably the best anyone could ask for, just shy of them being reared naturally.

I have recently added the 5 new girls to the living area (coop and run) permanently, about the second week of June. A total of 12 hens under one roof. (The coop construction details can be viewed above.)

The older girls (one year old) - 2 Swedish Flowers, 2 Welsummers, 2 Speckled Sussex,
1 Cream Legbar
The new girls (17 weeks old) - 2 Blue Copper Marans, 2 Olive Eggers, 1 Cream Legbar

Since combining the two groups, it seems as if the egg production has decreased. I use the word ‘seems’ because I don’t know if I am getting the same number of eggs and they are being eaten, or, production has decreased to almost nothing. I have witnessed two eggs being eaten by the new girls since integration.

The only bird laying religiously is my year-old Cream Legbar@ 3-4 eggs a week.
I may get an egg from a Welsummer and/or a Speckled Sussex every 3-4 days.
The Swedish Flower hens are very sporadic.

The following is a timeline up through today to help you to provide me with some feedback:

*May 3rd – Hatched (shipped through the mail)
*June 14th – (6-weeks old) - integration of “see, no peck”
*July 15th – (11-weeks old) – full integration permanently
*August 30, 2021 – The 5 new girls will be 17 weeks-old
(The 7 original, older girls will be a year old)

The following are some events and/or issues to which I have had to deal with since the middle of June:

*Integration
*Feed change - from 17% layer pellet to 18% chick grower/starter crumble (to help integrate the new girls)
*Weather / Heat – South Florida summer heat; 95 to 110 degree heat index almost every day
*Weather - Rain and mosquitoes
*Virus - Avian pox; from the mosquitoes, one can surmise
They all had it for about 2-3 weeks, visible only on their combs/wattles. No other complications whatsoever.
*Feed change - Switching them back over to Kalmbach 17% layer pellet (one week from now, at the age of 18-weeks old)

There are two, large feeders (Grandpa’s Feeder brand) for them to feed from. The feeders are always full. I feed them Kalmbach Feed (awesome stuff!!)

They have access to a 5-gallon bucket of water, with 6 cups to drink from. The water is changed and cleaned every two to three days

The only treats they get are:
*Kalmbach Henhouse Reserve (I use it as scratch/treats)
*Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries (all frozen)
*Cantaloupe, watermelon, zucchini, cucumbers (all frozen)
*Leafy greens, lettuce, cabbage, spinach (all frozen)

The treats are given on a rotational basis, in very small quantities, and only 3-4 times a week (only once a day when given to them).

They ‘may’ be beginning to molt also. I am finding an uptick in feathers. No signs of fighting, mites, bugs, cooties (LOL)...

When do chickens usually molt? Do they molt once a year?
Would they molt sooner or later in hot, sunny South Florida?

Again, why are they not producing like they used to? I have 7 fully mature hens who used to provide 3-4 beautiful eggs a day. Now I am lucky to get 1 or 2 eggs a day.

*Fact* - if the eggs are being eaten by the young'ins, they DON'T eat the blue ones! They leave them alone...very strange.

Please help. I would be grateful for any input. Let me know if you need any other information.

Thanks to all of you in advance!
Remain safe and healthy in these crazy times.

Respectfully,
Fire-Chicken

 

[aart]

When do chickens usually molt? Do they molt once a year?
Would they molt sooner or later in hot, sunny South Florida?

Prime time for molting to start, it's about the shortening days not the temps.
Eggs usually stop before feathers start to fall.

*Fact* - if the eggs are being eaten by the young'ins, they DON'T eat the blue ones! They leave them alone...very strange.

Maybe the blue eggs have stronger shells?
Have you found any broken shells, are they good and hard?

 

[Fire-Chicken]

Most of the eggs that I can collect, have hard shells. Although recently, I have found some soft shelled eggs.

I have also found an uptick in eggs late at night/ very early in the morning, from the roost.

Is a soft shelled egg normal to find during the molt? Are they putting most of their protein towards the making of new feathers?

Fire-chicken

 

[Fire-Chicken]

Most of the eggs that I can collect, have hard shells. Although recently, I have found some soft shelled eggs.

I have also found an uptick in eggs late at night/ very early in the morning, from the roost.

Is a soft shelled egg normal to find during the molt? Are they putting most of their protein towards the making of new feathers?

Fire-chicken

I have also added the fake, ceramic eggs to the nest boxes, to deter the young ones from eating what few eggs I could find.

it seems that if I’m not watching the hens lay (via the video camera), then running out to the coop to gather them, they will disappear. That is why I am thinking the young birds are eating some of the eggs. They are very good at devouring all of the evidence.