roost

[fil76]

my chickens bunch up on the roost at night if introducing new birds at night
should I put the new birds next to my group or opposite end of roost
cheers fil

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I personally wouldn't be introducing birds at night. They know who belongs and who doesn't. I prefer a penning side by side means of introduction to minimize injuries.

 

[aart]

I personally wouldn't be introducing birds at night.

Me neither!
It can work, but most often it does not.
Like bobbie-j sez: "chickens aren't the brightest animals on this planet, but they're not that stupid."

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.

This used to be a better search, new format has reduced it's efficacy, but still:
Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, BUT some info is outdated IMO:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you try it, put them as far from the others as you can.

People try that and it often works. Sometimes it ends in disaster. It's that way with living animals, nobody can tell you for sure what will happen. Some of the factors that influence success or failure are the relative ages of the birds, how much room you have, and personalities and sex of the individual birds.

If one group of chickens is immature while the other is more mature your risk goes up. Many mature chickens like to beat up immature chickens, especially when the immature chickens invade their personal space or when they are strangers. Many does not mean all but it does mean a lot.

By room I don't just mean some square feet per bird but can they get away from and avoid each other. When I integrate younger birds I often find the immature birds on the roost when the adults are on the coop floor. Or maybe some are hiding under the nests which are pretty low. If the pop door is open the young will be inside if the adults are in the run. The immature ones usually quickly learn to avoid the adults if at all possible.

Each chicken has its own personality, that's just the way it is. Some mesh better than others. Usually if they are all female if goes better than if you include a couple of males. One adult male in the mix usually isn't too bad but an immature male or multiple males can get pretty wild.

When I put chickens in the main coop at night for the first time I don't put them on the roosts, I just put them on the coop floor after dark and walk away. The coop is pretty dark at night, no security or street lights to keep it lit. I only move them to the main coop after they have roamed with the others for a minimum of a month, sharing a large run but sleeping in separate quarters. That way they are not strangers. I'm still down there at the crack of dawn the first few days to open the pop door so they can avoid each other and get away if they need to. It usually only takes a couple of days until I'm convinced there won't be any huge issues but occasionally it takes a little longer.

Each chicken has its own individual personality, each flock has its own dynamics. We all have our own unique set-ups, management techniques, and experiences. What works for one person may or not work for another for many different reasons. I don't have a clue what your set-up looks like, anything about the age or sex of any of the chickens, or how you have been managing them. A lot of the time integration goes a lot better than people expect even if they don't follow most of the suggestions, but sometimes chickens die. The suggestions on housing them side by side for a while, giving them lots of room, providing different eating and drinking stations, and all the other ideas do not guarantee success. Not doing them does not guarantee failure. They are meant to improve your odds of success.

Good luck!