New Member & New Pullet Introduction

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MoharFarmstead

MoharFarmstead

Hatching
5 Years
Sep 2, 2014
3
0
7
Hi, new member here from Puyallup Wa. I am new raising chickens..

I currently have a Silver Laced Wyandotte and a Black Sexlink that are 5 months old (I raised them from hatchlings)... And I just acquired 4 new pullets today: 2 Gold Laced Wyandottes, 1 Gold Sexlink, and 1 White Leghorn that are all only 10 weeks old, and about half the size of the two older girls. Upon their introduction this afternoon, there was some pecking and bullying being handed out by the big girls to the little ones. They are all free-ranging, so the little ones had plenty of running-away room. They were not introduced to the coop. But, to my surprise, this evening the little ones hopped up into the coop and onto the roost next to the big girls. They are sleeping next to each other for the first night (hopefully peacefully). Even though things seem to be going smoothly, I am still worried about the little ones because of the size difference. I just hope this new pecking order is established quickly, smoothly, and as peacefully as possible.
As this is my first time in this situation... Does anyone have any advise to help make this a smooth transition? Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. There is an excellent article on Introducing New Chickens to the Flock at http://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/introducing-new-chickens which will answer your questions in this area. You have some really good layers. Black Sex Links are my favorite hens. I've raised them for years and they are hardy and friendly, egg laying machines. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in integrating your new birds into the flock.
 
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Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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You need to keep these 10 week old chicks separated for a little bit before mixing them. You can't just throw new birds into an established flock without a lot of fighting. And the younger ones need to grow up a bit yet first.

So put the new birds in a cage or fenced off area but within the flock at all times. Everybody sees, nobody touches. Leave them this way for 3 or so weeks. This gives everybody time to get to know each other from behind wire and allows the young ones to grow a bit. Come mixing day, there will still be some shuffling, but it should be too violent. Of course always intervene if it turns bloody.

Put out more water and feed stations too. The older flock is going to want to guard these areas and can starve them out. So add two more water and feeding stations. It takes about a month or so for the newbies to really be accepted by the original flock.

Good luck with your new birds and your flock! :)
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good suggestions above for integrating your flocks, good luck with the new chicks!
 
Welcome to BYC - since you have already allowed them to associate, little will be accomplished by quarantining the new birds. It sounds as if all is going well. I'd just cross my fingers
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and hope for the best.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies! And yes, since I already introduced the new chicks to the big girls, the quarantine method has gone out the window. They are just going to mingle and have to figure it out.. hopefully not too violently. But, today seemed to go pretty well. The four little ones mostly stuck together and grazed in their own part of the yard, while the two big girls stuck to their own area. Every once in a while the big girls would feel the need to approach the young ones and chase them around a bit. Then this evening, when I looked into the coop, the little ones were on the roost between the big girls tucked in for the night. Hopefully this is a good sign? Anyway, I'm just going to keep a close eye on them for the next week or two until everyone starts getting along.
 

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