New to this

[Mary M.]

Hi all!
I have recently inherited chickens from my mother in-law. We have 2 adult hens, 2 roosters and 6 six week old chicks all free ranging. Yesterday I brought home two sixteen-week old hens. I have them in a temporary enclosure but they won't come out of their coop. Is this Normal? How should I integrate them with the others?

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!

Give them time, chickens don't like change.

Keep them in their coop and run for a week or two,
to 'home' them to the coop so they don't take off when released,
and to allow them and your existing birds to get used to seeing each other.

When first releasing them to range, good to do it an hour or so before roosting time,
that way they won't go far and you'll ensure that they go back to their coop to roost.
It may take more time for them to coop up with the other birds.

Here's some general tips that might help on....
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.

 

[Mary M.]

Welcome to BYC!

Give them time, chickens don't like change.

Keep them in their coop and run for a week or two,
to 'home' them to the coop so they don't take off when released,
and to allow them and your existing birds to get used to seeing each other.

When first releasing them to range, good to do it an hour or so before roosting time,
that way they won't go far and you'll ensure that they go back to their coop to roost.
It may take more time for them to coop up with the other birds.

Here's some general tips that might help on....
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.

 

[Mary M.]

Thanks! They currently have their own little coop in their own run. The 4 big chickens and roosters are using the big coop. The 6 little guys free range in the same large yard as the others but sleep by themselves at night. They would very much like to join the big guys in the big coop but I'm afraid that would end badly.

 

[Rick M]

Hello and welcome to BYC

 

[aart]

The 6 little guys free range in the same large yard as the others but sleep by themselves at night.

They are not sleeping in the main coop?
Did one of the existing birds hatch the chicks?
So you have 2 integrations going on...the chicks and the 2 new birds

 

[Mary M.]

The broody hen took her chicks out of the main coop after hatching. I may add that at that time we didn't know that she would successfully hatch any chicks because she sat on eggs from the beginning of May (while my MIL was still alive and dealing with it). In the meantime we had only one laying hen and 2 roosters so we ordered more hens. In the meantime mama hen takes over a small coop and run that we had gotten ready for the anticipated new hens. She stayed with the chicks for about 4 weeks, leading them out to free range during the day and bringing them back to their run at night. She ditched them a few weeks back and they return to their little coop at night but well after the big guys have gone to roost. They would like to join the big ones but I'm not sure about that.

Meanwhile the hens we ordered have arrived and I'm trying to get them acclimated. Whew! This is a lot of work.

Welcome to BYC!

Give them time, chickens don't like change.

Keep them in their coop and run for a week or two,
to 'home' them to the coop so they don't take off when released,
and to allow them and your existing birds to get used to seeing each other.

When first releasing them to range, good to do it an hour or so before roosting time,
that way they won't go far and you'll ensure that they go back to their coop to roost.
It may take more time for them to coop up with the other birds.

Here's some general tips that might help on....
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.

They are not sleeping in the main coop?
Did one of the existing birds hatch the chicks?
So you have 2 integrations going on...the chicks and the 2 new birds

They are not sleeping in the main coop?
Did one of the existing birds hatch the chicks?
So you have 2 integrations going on...the chicks and the 2 new birds

 

[aart]

Ah, I see!
It's too bad the mama didn't acclimate the chicks to living in the main coop.
So 2 new birds are living in the small coop and the 6wo chicks are sleeping... where?

How big is the main coop, in feet by feet?
Dimensions of coops, and pics inside and out, would help garner some specific suggestions.
Yes, integration can be a PITA ...Chicken Juggling!

 

[Mrs. K]

If the little ones have been free ranging with the bigger ones I don't think you will have a problem. Teen agers do like to stay out at night. I would shut off the little ones coop. And go down just before dark, to make sure they get in the coop. I would not make them roost, just get in there. They will figure it out.

As for the two new ones, I would also put them into the coop/run set up, while locking out the original birds, say in the afternoon, just so they can explore the set up, figure it out. Then I would let the older flock in just before dark.

Then have multiple feed bowls, currently I have a broody hen with chicks, 3 pullets that just started laying (hurray) and the older crowd. I have three bowls around the run, place so that while eating at one bowl, one is out of sight of others eating at another bowl.

Some clutter in the run can be very helpful during integration, and it makes the run more interesting to chickens. Have roosts in the run, have platforms that chickens can get on top of or underneath, pallets up against a wall that chickens can get behind.

Once you get them all together, this will be a bit easier. Sometimes having a lot of change all at once can help, it kind of shakes up everything. I would be strongly tempted to put them all together all at once, but monitor. A couple of flourishes is no big deal, but relentless harassment is. I would not expect it, but sometimes chickens have not read the plan.

Mrs K

 

[Serenityintheverse]

I have been searching for this information for days! Thank you so much! My RIR was attacked through the fence by a unknown predator..Me thinks it was a fox but can't really understand how he got to her through the fence...
I had to bring her inside for about a week to keep her quiet and treat her wound. It is healing nicely and she is walking better. I first placed her in the run and the other girls tormented her with bonks on the head and pecks at the wound sight. So I separated her from the all, and brought them together under supervision, she was bullied away from food and water etc. All of my birds came to me at 4 weeks. So she is not new to the flock. She did roost with the others last night without incident. However this morning she was denied food until the others were finished eating. Is it normal to reestablish pecking order when a flock mate has only been gone a week? Thanks in advance