very young flock and slightly older roosters

[mjkern3030]

Have looked at a lot of posts and would like some advice since there wasn't anything that directly applied. I have a set of 6 old very aggressive chickens. They already exhibit 'rooster like' behavior as hens (they lay eggs, so I know they are hens) but they definately try and crow as hens. I tried to introduce the roosters to them (they are several years old, the roosters are well under a year, they are pretty big though). The hens pick at them. I put them in a cage in the run, they seemed to leave each other alone (i.e. hens did not try and get to them) but any time I let them out into the run, they get pecked non stop.

I have another set of 12 hens that are a few months younger than the roosters. They are getting big (the hens) but not quite as big as the roosters. They are not laying eggs yet. Given what I have researched, I think I can introduce the roosters into the separate coop with the 12 hens at night and probably get away with not too much trouble? It is a very large coop with a very large run. The coop has huge nest boxes and about 6 of them. The coop is 4x8 with a cathedral ceiling. There is a 12 x 5 run and these chickens will be free range once the roosters are in the flock, so they will have acres to run around in. I have two roosters, so it is possible they will not get along so I do understand that I will eventually have to separate the roosters. They are very close now (brothers) and do not fight each other currently - I do understand that could change very fast, so keeping an eye (I have an outdoor camera in the young coop).

I know when the chicks were very small and had gotten into where the roosters were being kept that the roosters pecked them (might be normal, but did not seem like it). The roosters were near the chicks for a long time but have not seen them since they became larger hens. when the chicks were alarmed the roosters reacted, so there seems to be some kind of bond between them....

Is there anything I should be looking for as to when the hens and roosters (of the younger flocks) can be introduced using the sleep/night time sneak method?

 

[Buffbrahmasforever]

My only concern would be the two cockerels trying to mount the pullets before they are ready. So I would wait until all or most of the pullets are laying, and then you can introduce them.

 

[mjkern3030]

had not thought of that, thanks!

 

[Mrs. K]

At that time when all are laying, I think I would introduce everyone, all at once to the old girls. The more strangers there are, the harder it is to be aggressive, it wears a bird out. Being as you have a couple of coops, I think I might try this, I would move the older gals into a different set up than they are in now, this will displace them, and reduce the territory issue.

Then I would add the younger birds, and roosters into the older birds coop, let that simmer just one or two days, but let them roost two nights there, maybe three. Then at dark, put in the old girls. I am assuming that you want all of the birds in one flock.

Get down there early in the morning to see what happens. But I would expect it to go fairly well. Adding 14 birds to 6 birds is going to help a great deal.

Mrs K

 

[mjkern3030]

That is a great plan. I am planning on building an additional coop to move the old girls into that coop yet unbuilt coop and make that third coop a free range coop as well. The first coop was old and imobile so it was going to be a 'old girls home'. I will have two large tractor type coops and was going to split the flocks between those two coops. There is a pasture and fence separating the two flocks.

Thank you all for the advice! I have had a hard time as the old girls are two Rhode Island reds (aggressive and one acts like a rooster - the other is very broody) two buff Orphingtons (agressive and one acts like a rooster) and an americana (most of the new flock is americana and the roosters are americanas...the old americana is super timid) and another hen that has feathers on her feet (she is a lower tier hen, but very aggressive to the younger roosters).

I will have the roosters in with the older girls in a separated cage, so they cannot get to each other until the changes happen. The run in the old coop is very large (20x20).

The newer hens (the dozen) were born on around June 6th-8th. I believe the roosters were three to 4 weeks old by that time. The new hens have their feathers, but the combs are not out yet (which americanas would be slow to comb). The 12 would be laying around November 1st, which means they will stop very soon after that due to the winter (not going to do the light trick that stresses them out to get them to lay more). the newest coop is made for snow in that it will provide a lot of real estate covered away from snow. Lots of good ventilation and insulation and deep litter method. The old hens currently lay about 8 eggs a day until winter when they go dark egg wise. I have to move the broody one to get to the eggs, she likes to go into the other nest boxes to group them together. I have a very small coop with a very small run for chicks, so when chicks hatch, I will have a nursery....