Ugh! Integrating?!

[Farmgirl283420]

My younguns were raised by me since the day after they hatched and the 3 RIRs and 6 BRs that I raised love me and are spoiled a little more every day. They jump in my lap to take mini naps. But the 2 big BRs we just got don't trust me yet, but now, they don't run away if I get their water and food and stuff. They'll love me one day, I'm sure. I'd call it persistent but most people would just call me stubborn.

So I had 6 big hens and two little 13 weeks old cocks and a 13 week old pullet I had them in a little coop next to the big hens for about a month maybe a little more maybe a little less after maybe two weeks we started letting them free range together there were a few moments but I broke it up I was still terrified to put them in but I did it and they are doing great!

 

[Atchurch]

We had a kinda successful day the other day. My husband went with me into the run (he's a better bouncer) and it was a pretty good 10 minute interaction. Gonna do it again today and see if we can get a few more minutes.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Do you have things in the run that that the little ones can hide behind or run through, or climb up on? We call this "clutter."

 

[Chicken mob]

I've been reading through the other threads but not really seeing any definitive things. Some say put them together at night, some say let them all get close to the same size, etc. But for 3 days, we've had parallel runs and I tried to let the two, older, newest, female additions into the big run with our 11 week old flock of 6 hens and one rooster. The older two immediately started chasing the younger ones down and attacking them. The rooster was the younguns' champion, but even he seemed intimidated. I was in there so I started toward them all so the older two ran back to the little run and I called my littler ones to me and that separated everybody. I closed the pop door between runs and started checking everybody for blood or injuries. Nothing, thank goodness, but then the older girls made a lot more noise and the young ones hid in their coop for a while until they were positive the coast was clear.

Here's my main problem, though...those big girls can't stay in the small coop and run very much longer. Is there a foolproof way to get them together a little quicker? We don't have a lot of things inside the run yet. We are building a roost system to look kind of like a lake hut, but haven't yet. Any help is appreciated as always!

I just put 11 , 3 month old Rhode Island Red chicks in the coop at night when everyone was on the roosting, everyone being my girls from 1 to 3 years old and a rooster, next morning they all came out and there is some picking on the younger ones, but nothing serious. This is the third time I've done this, it has worked well so far, not even any bloody injuries! Good luck!

 

[Atchurch]

Do you have things in the run that that the little ones can hide behind or run through, or climb up on? We call this "clutter."

Just a few. But they're almost the same size now. But the younguns don't have the combs and stuff like that yet.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Just a few. But they're almost the same size now. But the younguns don't have the combs and stuff like that yet.

This stuff is useful when first introducing new birds to an existing flock, regardless of size or age, so the new ones can avoid bullying. Even a half sheet of plywood leaned up against a fence, that chickens can run behind and through as if it were a tunnel; an old table, a bench, chairs laid on their sides, etc., can be helpful. It may not be pretty but it can really be helpful. Our chickens' favorite spot is a sheet of corrugated metal attached to two sawhorses to make a low roof. We call it the Bus Stop because they hang out under it, like commuters waiting for a bus.

 

[QODTMWTD]

I don't know how well this photo will show what we did to get 15 pullets and 14 hens used to each other, but...

We used two strips of plastic deer netting connected with tie wraps to create a large curtain that divides the run. The pullets in the center of the photo are on the far side of the curtain. The rest of the run and the part that provides access to the coop and yard, is accessible only to the hens once the curtain is down. About 1 foot of the curtain drapes on the ground and I set 2' sections of rebar on there to keep it in place; it's not like they try to barge through it. I stapled one edge to an 8' long lath and velcroed the lath to the building; that's the "permanent" side. The other side, where I come and go to feed/treat/water/sit with them, attaches to one of the structural 4 x 4 uprights via little hooks screwed into the upright. The netting easily slips right over the hooks and is easy to connect and disconnect from both sides. I reinforced the top and sides of the netting by weaving some thin cotton rope through the little squares of the mesh, and that gives the whole curtain a little more structure. Inside the coop I built another temporary, smaller coop for the pullets out of 2 x 4s and more deer netting. The hens have the run of the rest of the coop. The arrangement takes some wrangling of the two groups: In the morning I let the hens out into the run and they follow me to the yard for some scrambled eggs. I lock them out there, then open the pullet coop. By now they know enough to run into their section, where they get scrambled eggs, too. Once they're all corralled there I drop the curtain (it holds up out of the way with a tiny bungee while they're in transit), set the rebar on it, and let the hens back in so they have nest box access. At night it's the same thing: hens to the yard, pullets to their coop, hens back in to their coop. This has been the arrangement for over a month, and before that the chicks were confined to their coop, but still in full sight of the hens. They've been exposed to each other without physical contact for at least two months now. Last week they started getting short supervised visits with the curtain up. The hens haven't bothered the pullets excessively, but I still wouldn't trust them alone with each other for extended periods. The pullets don't want any trouble, but I also don't want them picked on, so we're going very slowly until I can trust them not to be murdered by the hens.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

There won't be any murders, maybe just a peck or two, if that. They'll be fine. You've been using the "see-no-touch" method and it really works well. The chickens have had a chance to get acquainted and become familiar with each other, so when you do remove the barrier, they'll hardly notice the difference. Good job!

 

[Atchurch]

I don't know how well this photo will show what we did to get 15 pullets and 14 hens used to each other, but...

We used two strips of plastic deer netting connected with tie wraps to create a large curtain that divides the run. The pullets in the center of the photo are on the far side of the curtain. The rest of the run and the part that provides access to the coop and yard, is accessible only to the hens once the curtain is down. About 1 foot of the curtain drapes on the ground and I set 2' sections of rebar on there to keep it in place; it's not like they try to barge through it. I stapled one edge to an 8' long lath and velcroed the lath to the building; that's the "permanent" side. The other side, where I come and go to feed/treat/water/sit with them, attaches to one of the structural 4 x 4 uprights via little hooks screwed into the upright. The netting easily slips right over the hooks and is easy to connect and disconnect from both sides. I reinforced the top and sides of the netting by weaving some thin cotton rope through the little squares of the mesh, and that gives the whole curtain a little more structure. Inside the coop I built another temporary, smaller coop for the pullets out of 2 x 4s and more deer netting. The hens have the run of the rest of the coop. The arrangement takes some wrangling of the two groups: In the morning I let the hens out into the run and they follow me to the yard for some scrambled eggs. I lock them out there, then open the pullet coop. By now they know enough to run into their section, where they get scrambled eggs, too. Once they're all corralled there I drop the curtain (it holds up out of the way with a tiny bungee while they're in transit), set the rebar on it, and let the hens back in so they have nest box access. At night it's the same thing: hens to the yard, pullets to their coop, hens back in to their coop. This has been the arrangement for over a month, and before that the chicks were confined to their coop, but still in full sight of the hens. They've been exposed to each other without physical contact for at least two months now. Last week they started getting short supervised visits with the curtain up. The hens haven't bothered the pullets excessively, but I still wouldn't trust them alone with each other for extended periods. The pullets don't want any trouble, but I also don't want them picked on, so we're going very slowly until I can trust them not to be murdered by the hens.

That's a cool setup!

 

[Atchurch]

Today was so cool!!! The big girls came into the big run and looked around and the younguns went about their business as usual. Then the big girls found a spot and started dust bathing! They were kicking up all of the dirt/sand and having a great time. Once they got done, they very peacefully walked back to the smaller run. One of my littles, I call her Rocky, 'cuz she's tough, went with them and got on her old perch. Lol. Loved that there wasn't any flying feathers at all!