Polite Introductions?

[denverdiva]

I have 5 chicks about 41 days old and two 6 month old hens in the coop. How and whenvdo you introduce the younger batch to the coop owners?
~Anne

 

[Chicks R Friends NOT Food]

I wait untill they are almost the same size, then let everyone freerange together for at least a couple of hours so I can monitor if they're getting along, and seperate as needed. Then they all go back into the run and get watched for another half hour or so.

 

[Judy]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=14951

 

[denverdiva]

Quote:
This was an excellent source of information. Thank you for pointing me there. I've started letting the older hens out with the chicks safely out in the grass enclosed in a large dog cage. Only the Brown Leghorn is interested and she circles the cage. I also put the dog cage near the coop but with a rose bush in between. The curiosity has died down from that stage of introduction. I think I'll wait another month and try the neutral territory of the vegetable garden. There are lots of raspberry vines for hiding.
~Anne

 

[NatalieB]

Whenever I introduce new chickens it is always at night. I put them next to each other on the roost and they wake up the next morning with each other. There are the looks at each other "How did you get here?"

Always seems to work out fine even with younger chickens. Good luck!