New chickens + old chickens at night

[peacocks24]

Hello everyone! So, we just got two new chickens to add to our two-chicken flock. We made the calculated decision (although it ended up being a mistake, which we knew it could be when we did it) to let them interact after one day of separating them through cages. Pecking order ensued. My question, which I can't find an answer to anywhere, is when to let all the birds roost together. For the past few nights, we've been separating the "top dog" (the one doing most of the pecking) from the rest of the flock at night and this has been okay. Tonight, however, we separated both the new ones from the old ones. At some point we're going to have to pull the trigger and let them duke it out in the roost, but I don't know what that point looks like - I really don't want a murder to happen! Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Oh, and as an aside, this is our coop:

It SUCKS. It's tiny, a person can't fit into it, and there's no room to fit a cage into the coop itself. We're getting a new coop built in two weeks, but for now this is what we're working with.

 

[IsabelleButterscotch]

From experience, the best way to introduce new chickens is just putting them in at night while everyone's sleeping. I have never experienced fighting or even pecking of any kind from doing it this way. They wake up and everything's normal! However, the new chickens we introduce usually stick together for a while, almost being separated from the pecking order. They always end up integrating though, in a couple weeks. Good luck!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Hmm, since you mentioned you're getting a new coop in 2 weeks... why not wait until you have the new coop and just put them all in together? The new housing should be enough to distract them from each other.

 

[aart]

Hmm, since you mentioned you're getting a new coop in 2 weeks... why not wait until you have the new coop and just put them all in together? The new housing should be enough to distract them from each other.

Ditto Dat


Here's some tips about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/