Old Hens and Spring Chickens

[HuertaFarm]

I'll try to keep this short. We have a well establish flock of about 7 hens and 1 rooster. This summer I added 6 pullets (down to 4 due to a raccoon) and they are doing well. We have one gigantic coop that locks at night and all the birds free range from dawn to dusk. The pullets (who are still not laying despite being well into laying age) practice 'social distancing' from the rest of the flock. They're not bullied at all, but they're obviously much lower in rank and always get the seconds of all treats, food, etc... the pullets choose to sleep on their own separate roost and have their own section of nesting boxes that have been built into a "quarantine section" of the coop that we can block off to integrate new chickens.

1. We will be getting about 7 new 10 month old laying hens and are looking to integrate them into our current coop. I would like for everyone to merge together into one flock, but realize that's not realistic. I feel bad for the pullets losing their self-designated roost and boxes while they are used for the new guys and am worried bullying might start if they push their way into the established flocks roost at night. Any tips or tricks to get everyone to feel like a family?

2. Would getting one or two new replacement roosters help a more united large flock? (Note: Our rooster is extremely aggressive with humans and is not very alert or attentive to keeping the girls together and watching for danger. I've already been thinking of replacing him for a long time before any of this merger stuff.)

 

[Ruthster55]

Definitely cull the human-aggressive rooster and put the new additions into a separate area. You don’t want to have the human-aggressive rooster breed and make more aggro cockerels.

For health reasons, it would be better to quarantine the new arrivals in an area away from your flock before introducing them. I was surprised at the length of quarantine recommended for chickens new to a property —— it’s longer than COVID quarantine!

 

[HuertaFarm]

Definitely cull the human-aggressive rooster and put the new additions into a separate area. You don’t want to have the human-aggressive rooster breed and make more aggro cockerels.

For health reasons, it would be better to quarantine the new arrivals in an area away from your flock before introducing them. I was surprised at the length of quarantine recommended for chickens new to a property —— it’s longer than COVID quarantine!

I definitely will be quarantining the new ladies. Just trying to figure out if bringing in a new rooster at the same time is a good idea or not We haven't been breeding so it hasn't been a big rush for us to replace him.

 

[Ruthster55]

I definitely will be quarantining the new ladies. Just trying to figure out if bringing in a new rooster at the same time is a good idea or not We haven't been breeding so it hasn't been a big rush for us to replace him.

If you’re not trying to breed, and the hens aren’t under heavy predator pressure, there’s no rush to bring in a new rooster.

When you want to breed and do bring a new rooster in, it’s best if it’s a mature rooster over 1 1/2 years old.

Our Silly Rooster is a mutt we bought at a market. Bit of Cochin, bit of Idunno. Has lightly-feathered feet. He has fathered so many chicks that I am now worried about inbreeding but I just can’t stand the thought of culling him.

 

[HuertaFarm]

If you’re not trying to breed, and the hens aren’t under heavy predator pressure, there’s no rush to bring in a new rooster.

When you want to breed and do bring a new rooster in, it’s best if it’s a mature rooster over 1 1/2 years old.

Our Silly Rooster is a mutt we bought at a market. Bit of Cochin, bit of Idunno. Has lightly-feathered feet. He has fathered so many chicks that I am now worried about inbreeding but I just can’t stand the thought of culling him.

Good to know, our rooster may be a bigger problem than I thought. I wish we could find a sweet roo like yours! Did you get him while he was young? Our rooster grew up with his ladies so I've been hesitant to cull him and bring in a new guy. I've never done that before and worry about whether the ladies will respect a newbie on the scene.

We do have a lot of raccoons which usually aren't a huge problem, but very rarely we have a hen that will just disappear during free range and never come back to the coop. Maybe it's too much blame to lay on a rooster, but isn't that his job to keep them together?

 

[Shadrach]

I'll try to keep this short. We have a well establish flock of about 7 hens and 1 rooster. This summer I added 6 pullets (down to 4 due to a raccoon) and they are doing well. We have one gigantic coop that locks at night and all the birds free range from dawn to dusk. The pullets (who are still not laying despite being well into laying age) practice 'social distancing' from the rest of the flock. They're not bullied at all, but they're obviously much lower in rank and always get the seconds of all treats, food, etc... the pullets choose to sleep on their own separate roost and have their own section of nesting boxes that have been built into a "quarantine section" of the coop that we can block off to integrate new chickens.

1. We will be getting about 7 new 10 month old laying hens and are looking to integrate them into our current coop. I would like for everyone to merge together into one flock, but realize that's not realistic. I feel bad for the pullets losing their self-designated roost and boxes while they are used for the new guys and am worried bullying might start if they push their way into the established flocks roost at night. Any tips or tricks to get everyone to feel like a family?

2. Would getting one or two new replacement roosters help a more united large flock? (Note: Our rooster is extremely aggressive with humans and is not very alert or attentive to keeping the girls together and watching for danger. I've already been thinking of replacing him for a long time before any of this merger stuff.)

Ideally you want two new coops.
I keep the chickens here in a similar day and night arrangement. I have multiple coops though and each group (tribe) has their own rooster. An arrangement of this type is quite common here and in other places apart from the USA it seems. The idea of integration sounds great, but it rarely works. Groups that are the same breed tend to stick together as do chickens that arrive together and of course, in the case here with my lot, families stick together.
It's a bit late now but I would be tempted to let some of your existing hes sit and hatch. This makes the new arrivals family, avoids the quarantine (It's a must. Don't be tempted to skip it) and generally makes life easier for all.
Coops don't have to be fancy (look at my coop page) For daytime all weather free rangers they just need somewhere secure for the night and are not the slightest bit interested in your woodworking skills.

 

[Shadrach]

Good to know, our rooster may be a bigger problem than I thought. I wish we could find a sweet roo like yours! Did you get him while he was young? Our rooster grew up with his ladies so I've been hesitant to cull him and bring in a new guy. I've never done that before and worry about whether the ladies will respect a newbie on the scene.

We do have a lot of raccoons which usually aren't a huge problem, but very rarely we have a hen that will just disappear during free range and never come back to the coop. Maybe it's too much blame to lay on a rooster, but isn't that his job to keep them together?

It is his job to keep the hens together but a single rooster can only manage two or three hens. It's like having 20 wives all calling for your attention. You end up picking a couple of favoutires and the rest get a bit neglected.
This article may help you out.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

 

[Ruthster55]

Good to know, our rooster may be a bigger problem than I thought. I wish we could find a sweet roo like yours! Did you get him while he was young? Our rooster grew up with his ladies so I've been hesitant to cull him and bring in a new guy. I've never done that before and worry about whether the ladies will respect a newbie on the scene.

We do have a lot of raccoons which usually aren't a huge problem, but very rarely we have a hen that will just disappear during free range and never come back to the coop. Maybe it's too much blame to lay on a rooster, but isn't that his job to keep them together?

I got the rooster when he was probably already over a year old. He was in a market where people also sell them for eating.

If a hen disappears on you, she might be going broody and have a clutch of eggs somewhere.

Yes - a good rooster keeps the flock together until a rival rooster appears (usually younger). You can cull one of the two roosters, or if you have a lot of land, you can let them split off into harems.

 

[Ruthster55]

Given a large enough piece of land for foraging:

I mostly agree but think that a single rooster can take care of and guide 2-7 hens away from predators etc.

When there are 8 or more hens, it’s better to split up the harems and keep more than one rooster. Select for both human-friendly and flock protection.

I actually have this situation where I will be going from a 1-rooster flock to a flock where I will keep 3 to 5 roosters, with around 2 of them servicing breeding coops and around 2 more at libety.

Does not apply to urban or suburban flocks!

 

[Shadrach]

Given a large enough piece of land for foraging:

I mostly agree but think that a single rooster can take care of and guide 2-7 hens away from predators etc.

When there are 8 or more hens, it’s better to split up the harems and keep more than one rooster. Select for both human-friendly and flock protection.

I actually have this situation where I will be going from a 1-rooster flock to a flock where I will keep 3 to 5 roosters, with around 2 of them servicing breeding coops and around 2 more at libety.

Does not apply to urban or suburban flocks!

Yup, you do need the space. I've assumed the OP has it by the number of chickens and the free ranging.
It works out at about an acre a tribe here.