The oldest members of my flock are close to 8 month old now. They are blue wyandottes. When I introduced the Silkies a couple of the girls bullied them. Well, eventually I had some 8 week old mutts in the integration pen. The stinkers flew out before I felt the flock was ready. They were in the integration pen for a week.
The 2 bully hens let them know their place and that was it. The mutts had a much easier integration.
Recently, I purchased 3 pullets at 8 weeks. They have been accepted with very little fuss. There is a small hutch that they go under when they need to.
The blue wyandottes have gotten used to new arrivals. They will give a peck here n there to make sure the new ones know their place in the order of the flock.
It really boils down to your main flocks dynamics and how tolerant each individual can be. Bullies tend to be the lower ranking members who do not want to fall any further in the pecking order.
The 2 bully hens let them know their place and that was it. The mutts had a much easier integration.
Recently, I purchased 3 pullets at 8 weeks. They have been accepted with very little fuss. There is a small hutch that they go under when they need to.
The blue wyandottes have gotten used to new arrivals. They will give a peck here n there to make sure the new ones know their place in the order of the flock.
It really boils down to your main flocks dynamics and how tolerant each individual can be. Bullies tend to be the lower ranking members who do not want to fall any further in the pecking order.
