Trouble introducing young chickens to coop

[Tiffy316]

Hey guys, I'm trying to introduce 3 young light brahma chickens into the coop with the rest of my chickens. They're about 2 1/2 to 3 months old. My main problem is that whenever I try, my roosters immediately start to mate with them. I currently have 11 chickens in my coop. 3 wyandotte roosters, 1 wyandotte hen, and 4 chantecler hens.

I've raised the light brahma chicks from babies and they're starting to get a little big for their chick box. But I dont know how to introduce them without my 3 roosters trying to mate with them every time. And I dont mean like courting. I mean like all 2 of ny roosters trying to do the horny dance on top of the young chickens. The roosters are much bigger than them, so they basically get squished, and can barely escape from the roosters. ..

What can I do to help introduce my young chicks to the coop without so much drama?

 

[aart]

Might want to get rid of all but one male.
Crate might be too small for 3 birds that age.
Can you fence off a larger area?

Here's some tips about.....
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.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[IamRainey]

Don't know what the roosters hormones will make him do, but they'll all learn to be more tolerant/less threatened if there are look-but-don't-touch spaces/barriers while the smaller more vulnerable birds need some protection.

It's also worth considering that there comes a time when they've got to fight their own battles. Tough on us but the way nature intended.

However you manage it, set up a safe space the little ones can take shelter in. And the next time you brood, when it's possible to have them in safe adjacent spaces it will make the process go more smoothly. My climate is mild. I put the chicks out in a kennel in the run at about 4 weeks.

 

[Ryguy3684]

I agree with the number of roosters possibly being an issue. It partly depends on the behavior of the roosters, but if there aren't enough hens for each rooster, they will try and mate the young pullets. They can injure the pullets if they mate them too early. My current rooster waited until my pullets were laying, but I had one that was aggressively mating pullets. He had to go.
I would definitely try the "see, but not touch" approach, if you can figure out a way to section off part of the run.

 

[aart]

but if there aren't enough hens for each rooster, they will try and mate the young pullets.

Even if there are 'enough'......
It always.....

.....depends on the behavior of the roosters

 

[Tiffy316]

They're doing fine in the crate so far. The others seem to be adjusting nicely. They've got lots of places to hide. They just need to get acquainted with everybody. I'm gonna let them stay thrte for a week or two so everybody will be able to get along better. Thry have everything they need in the crate, including straw for warmth. Wish me luck. Hopefully everyone will be able to get along when I finally release them.

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

What can I do to help introduce my young chicks to the coop without so much drama?

What we do when introducing them is keep the chicks in a relatively sizable cage with space for them to hide if they get scared, and we let them all free range in the day with less and less supervision as they get older. My flock was pretty calm though, so I don't know if this'll work for you.

 

[Tiffy316]

We'll, mine are in a barn. What should I do, put them in a large dog crate and hope that the roosters are a little less horny in a week? If course, they don't get as rapey around the rest of the hens.

 

[IamRainey]

I use a wire dog kennel. I raise the chicks inside it in the immediate area of the order birds. I feed and water the young ones inside their kennel and the rest of the flock all around them so they learn that no one's a threat to anyone else.

When it's time I open the door to the kennel and let them wander out on their own at their choice. For a long time after they join the flock through the day they choose to roost in their kennel at night when the rest of the flock go up to the coop. That's just fine. At some point, they go up at night and huddle together in a corner on the floor in coop. That's OK too. Eventually, they find a spot on the roosts and defend it as necessary.

If your young ones are badgered by the rooster I'd add some hardware cloth to the open door of the kennel to exclude larger birds. Or provide some other small space that only they can access. Got any cinderblocks hanging around anywhere?

 

[Tiffy316]

I use a wire dog kennel. I raise the chicks inside it in the immediate area of the order birds. I feed and water the young ones inside their kennel and the rest of the flock all around them so they learn that no one's a threat to anyone else.

When it's time I open the door to the kennel and let them wander out on their own at their choice. For a long time after they join the flock through the day they choose to roost in their kennel at night when the rest of the flock go up to the coop. That's just fine. At some point, they go up at night and huddle together in a corner on the floor in coop. That's OK too. Eventually, they find a spot on the roosts and defend it as necessary.

If your young ones are badgered by the rooster I'd add some hardware cloth to the open door of the kennel to exclude larger birds. Or provide some other small space that only they can access. Got any cinderblocks hanging around anywhere?

So should I put them in a large dog kennel and let the others get used to them. My roosters are jumping on top of the young chickens like they want to mate with them, but they're still a little small. That's why I'm trying to figure out how to introduce them.

I've been raising the young chickens in a chick box inside the barn. They can't see the others chickens in there.

Do you think that if I put them in a dog crate for a week or so that my roosters wont be so eager to copulate with them?