What age to introduce new chickens to existing flock?

[cafarmgirl]

May I hop in for some advice here? I have 8-9 week old girls who have been in an interior pen with my big girls for a couple of weeks now during the day. The big girls free range and when I'm in the yard I let the little girls wander too (they spend a good amount of time digging in my garden with me and eating any good treats we find.). This week the bigs an little have started wandering together just about with 6 to 8 feet between them most of the time (2 littles and 3 bigs make my flock). Last night I put the littles in the bigs coop and this morning they're in the run and all getting along. The bigs are interested but not being aggressive. This is maybe week three of being around each other thru wire. Am I screwing up big time by doing this? An I being tricked by dumb beginners luck that will run out?

Also if they do integrate well, what do I do about feed? My bigs are on lay pellets but barely eat it because they range most days. My littles are on medicated chick starter feed. If my bigs get into that are their eggs safe? My littles range too but not as often/long...if that supplements some of their medicated feed will they be okay? I'm keeping as natural as I can but trying to be flexible for the health of my girls.

Thanks guys I know this is a lot...so thankful for all the knowledge here!!

It sounds like your integration is going fine, I wouldn't change anything at this point.

It's fine if the older hens eat some of the medicated starter, there is no egg withdrawal for amprolium. It is best if the youngsters are not allowed to eat layer feed however, their growing bodies do not need the excess calcium. One way to make it easier on yourself would be to feed an all-flock type feed to everybody and just offer oyster shell on the side for the layers. If you wanted to you can switch back to layer once the youngsters start laying. And yes, it's fine for the young birds to forage and supplement their feed in that way. You need to keep a close watch on the youngsters for any signs of coccidiosis whether they are on medicated starter or not.

Thanks for the replies. The reason I want to combine the two groups is because the coop that the younger ones are in is really too small for them now. I only use this coop to raise the baby chicks in or to separate a chicken if I have to.

The older rooster is bigger than both of the younger ones so I doubt that the younger ones will challenge him. All three are pretty docile.

Like I said in my original post, The older chickens have been able to see the younger ones when they go into the caged in run so they are aware the younger ones are there. One of the younger roosters also crows all of the time so the older one and him crow back and forth. The other young rooster to my knowledge has never crowed yet.

Wayne

The young ones are plenty old enough to integrate, just start letting them free range together, the more the better. The young roo's will challenge the older one when they hit the raging-teenage-hormone stage in the next few months, especially the one that is already having a pi$$ing match with the older one by crowing to him all the time lol!

 

[70monte]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. The one thing I have not really thought about is the feed situation since the older ones are on layer feed and the newer ones are on grower feed still.

The other option I have been thinking about is just getting rid of the older ones since they didn't lay that well last year and are past their prime laying years. Right now I usually get one egg a day but some days they don't lay at all. If I'm lucky, I might get two eggs.

I got the chicks so I could start getting more eggs this spring. I guess I still have some time to decide what to do.

Wayne

 

[cdb1949]

Allow the newer ones access to the main group at night so they can wake up together. There will be a lot of pecking and chasing but if there are enough hens to each rooster they should eventually smooth out. Of course the guys will always fight over the girls

 

[furbabymum]

For me it's space related. I've let very small chickens loose with the older ones. I have such a large area with so many hiding spots it's never been a problem. They sleep in different spots until they're all the same size but otherwise I've never witnessed a problem.

 

[TeaChick]

I just received a trio (it was supposed to be a pair of SLW (pullet and roo) and a pullet who was SLW x buff Orpington, but the SLW pullet turned out to be a cockerel) in mid-late January, who had hatched at the end of September; they were 3.5 to 4 mos old. I also free range my existing flock.
I had the three new chickens in a dog kennel inside my coop for two days and then I left the door open for a day then I removed the dog kennel.
A couple of days later, I walked into my coop to find the SLW roo with a hold pecked through his back, and no head. I have no idea what happened, but I moved the other two to my juvenile pen, which I set up as a temporary coop for them until I'm able to build them a coop of their own.
I will maintain two separate flocks from now on. I will not try to incorporate chickens into my original flock.
Everyone free ranges from separate coops now and they all get along in the yard. One of the hens in my original flock was aggressive and chased the new chickens around.
I gave her to a friend and, since I removed her from the flocks, things have been much more peaceful.

I suggest you read the featured article from last week about introducing new chickens; there was a lot of good information about quarentine and about integrating.
I, personally, will just keep adding flocks to free range together and building coops for each flock as they hatch/arrive.

 

[Savcluckers]

From what I've read, it's better to take away the big girl food and just put out plenty of calcium for the big girls to supplement on(not mixed in food). Better for big girls to eat medicated, then the little girls to eat to much calcium rich food. The littles won't eat the other calcium!!!

 

[cdb1949]

We have had our flock a couple of years now. One day we opened the coop to let everyone out and one of our Sussex (appearingly healthy the day before) was dead on the floor
Of the coop. No visible sign of injury, no clue to cause. The others are still healthy and fiesty.

 

[k8tieluvschicks]

I moved mine in with my older ones @ about 5.5 months

 

[acemario]

I just integrated 2 hens and a roo that were 5 months old with 2 older hens. Things are going superb. The roo is doing a good job of keeping the peace.

 

[AmericanMom]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. The one thing I have not really thought about is the feed situation since the older ones are on layer feed and the newer ones are on grower feed still.

The other option I have been thinking about is just getting rid of the older ones since they didn't lay that well last year and are past their prime laying years. Right now I usually get one egg a day but some days they don't lay at all. If I'm lucky, I might get two eggs.

I got the chicks so I could start getting more eggs this spring. I guess I still have some time to decide what to do.

Wayne

had the same issue, older girls on layer feed, younger on all flock feed, it was easier for me to switch the older girls on all flock and have oyster shells on the side, I've kept it this way because I always have youngsters on the way up and in, this way I don't waste feed.. I will be culling out my flock this fall as I also have some older hens that aren't laying as well... I want meat production and egg production so I now have a two year rule..