Trouble integrating young chickens with slightly older chickens

[beatriceanddaisy]

Could really use some advice. We have three 4-month old chickens and three 3-month old chickens and are trying to integrate them into one flock, but its proving hard. They've been living in the same covered run, separated by a fence, for over a month. (The older ones are in the coop, and the younger ones sleep in a dog crate, and the fence divides the covered run in two.) For a few weeks they just interacted through the fence, and then we started letting them mingle for a short time each day, first supervised, and then sometimes not. Its been weeks and the older chickens continue to spend most of their time chasing the younger chickens and hassling them. There's no blood drawn, but the younger chickens are clearly not happy and everyone is happier when we re-separate them back in their respective halves.

Any advice or tips? Should we just let them hash it out and be together all day unsupervised and know it'll get better eventually? We'd like them to all be sleeping the same coop soon, it's cumbersome to have the two separate living spaces.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

I think that is how it works. The older ones chase the young ones until the flock dynamics are learned by the young ones. I just integrated two that are now at least 3 months old. It's still an ongoing process.
At this point, I would allow the young ones to go into the coop so that they are always part of the flock. At first I put mine in after the older ones went in and settled. Then I let them go in a little later on their own before the door closed, but after the hens settled and it was dark enough they couldn't pick on them as long as all the doors were closed. Now, they go in on their own without me intervening. However, I still check to make sure everyone is settled and not being pecked on.
I would stop separating them - unless there is an older hen that's too aggressive and she needs some alone time. My two stay with each other anyway and avoid the older hens if they can.
Also, I would add new things and rearrange things in the coop so that the older chickens have something else to keep their interest and provide obstacles for the chases. But, don't put anything in where it could potentially back the little ones into a corner with no way out. I would also make sure there are separate feed and water stations placed around the run so that the little ones can get some food here and there when not being run off.
I also let my young ones have about 1 hour of run time alone in the late afternoon while I clean and let the older chickens out into the yard.
Hope that helps. I worry about my young ones, bust they are doing as well as expected while learning the flock hierarchy.

 

[Lovem all]

Just let them together and the pecking order will look a lot scarier then it is.

 

[IamRainey]

The first time I integrated new chicks into my existing flock it was agonizing to watch one of my beloved hens turn into the Mean Girl. We tried all sorts of things but the truth of the matter is the pecking order is what works and working that out is the chicken's business.

You don't want to unleash chicks so young they're vulnerable and can't protect themselves. You want to have spots they can retreat to to feel safe. You want to make sure they have safe access to feed and water. But then you just have to step back and let the drama play out.

Once my chicks were grown enough to protect themselves and to understand their spot in the flock it looked like I would simply have 2 flocks living in 1 space. It was that way for a long time. And that was OK too. But one day -- and I had stopped paying attention by that time so I don't know when it happened -- everyone was one big happy family again. And then new chicks came along and we started all over again...

Trust your chickens. ...even when they behave like bullies and wimps.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know how much room you have, inside and out. People with only six chickens tend to not have a lot. Integration takes more room than after they are fully integrated.

What you describe isn't that unusual in flocks with a maturity difference. The more mature outrank the less mature and sometimes aren't shy about enforcing those rights. That's especially true when the less mature invade their private space. That's why room is important, they need enough room to avoid each other. My younger ones usually quickly learn to avoid the others, but mine have plenty of room to do that, inside and out. Each chicken has its own personality, you can get one that is just a brute and bully. It can happen. From what I've seen, most of the time it's a space problem but not always.

My definition of a successful integration is that no one gets physically hurt. Intimidation and bullying can be part of it but physical injury is a no-no.

So what can you do? Give them as much room as you can. It can improve the quality of your room by adding cutter. That mean giving them something to hide under, behind, or above. Something that breaks the line of sight. Having separate feeding and watering stations can help reduce areas of conflict. Help them stay apart.

I let mine prove they can coexist outside the coop before I try to get them all to sleep inside together. I'm set up so that is not a big problem but I understand why you might want them all together. Mine will not sleep on the main roosts with the older ones until they mature quite a bit. As long as they are not in my nests and are in a predator safe location I don't care where they sleep. As IamRainey said, they eventually handle that.

I'd put them in your main coop after dark, assuming your main coop is dark enough they won't get attacked at night. Then be down there by the time they wake up to open the pop door so they can get out if they need to. At some point you will realize you don't need to be down there that early. With my big coop that's usually just one or two mornings. I typically find the younger ones up on the roosts while the older ones are on the coop floor. They are up there avoiding them.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Photos of your set up would be great for specific troubleshooting, but from the sounds of it this is just normal pecking order stuff, and by putting them together, then separating them, then doing it over and over again, you're essentially resetting the process as they never really get the chance to fully interact with each other.

If there is chasing and harassing, BUT you have appropriate space and clutter to provide hiding/cooldown space, I'd leave them alone to sort things out themselves, as long as no blood is being drawn and everyone can still eat and drink.

 

[beatriceanddaisy]

I forgot to reply to this thread last year but I wanted to say THANK YOU for all your advice! The integration process happened eventually and they're one happy flock now. Now we have 5 grown chickens and 3 teenage chickens and are starting the process all over again