Oh fun! As The Coops Turn is in your future!

I have had to work pretty hard to make sure everyone blends well and sometimes it takes a bit of forced hand and other times they figure it out themselves.

Both options are entertaining in some way or another. Depending on breed and personality they are either cliques or assimilate in my experience! For example, my ODs are in the bantam run and they are their own little Swedish posse. I brought home the Swedish Hedemora pullet and put her in with my Brahma and d’Uccle and silkies and she said no thanks, and ditched them for the ODs! She’s now head hen of the Swedish posse and pecks each OD in the head as the come into the coop each night.
Millie and Bella were the pullets I got at the poultry show and they bonded from being lonely for their old friends and pretty much accept everyone into their coop! That included Sia, Cher, all three of my bantam EEs, Ruby, and Roxy and Nohope the huge birds that make them seem soooo small. In the run all of them intermingle but do have their own little cliques. The EEs and Ruby are a gang, Bella and Millie, and Roxy and Nohope. It is clear Ruby is the lowest rooster in the group and he always eats last and is chased the most. And no one challenges Bruno despite how HUGE Nohope is he still runs and hides when pecked by all of them
The big run has a lot more drama and co-mingling and alliances (Survivor reference

). When I first started integrating I always let out the lowest on the totem pole first. They would get 10 mins or so to get water, search for treats, and get their bearings…and then I’d let out the older chickens. This helped a LOT with integration. Someone on here recommended it after I asked for help because the older chickens were being so mean. Once I swapped who came out first the problems ended and everyone seemed to get along just fine. The connection they make with who they grew up with seems to be stronger than being with their own kind…and then age seems to be the next level of splitting they do. The silkies eschew all rules…they do what they want and everyone accepts it

Except Charlie. She’s head honcho and she reminds Betty every once in awhile that she’s not to get too bossy or big headed! Otherwise they roost where they want, they take nest boxes and other chickens eggs to brood whenever they want, and seem to have little care where they sleep as long as it’s dry and comfy

The two Polish hang together and stay with the two Ameraucana pullets they shared a coop with as babies…but the Ameraucanas seem to have decided they’re not all that close and now the Polish seem to sort of be on their own now. The bantam Cochins though? They are a MAJOR clique…they hang out with only each other, they’re sassy to all other chickens that dare come across them, and they only let Emilio their rooster brother mate them. Where one is, the other three are. They are indeed the Brad Pack even without their amazing leader Brad (RIP)

They only roost in the upper rafters of one coop. They still accept new chickens in the run, but they do not form alliances or friendships with any of them! It’s pretty fascinating watching them all. Today I opened up the closed teenager coop for an hour of supervised integration and I was so amused at all the noises they were all making. So much quiet clucking and chattering and “discussing” going on

It went pretty well considering! Spider is often the meanest to newbies and he was just fine, and Marshmallow who is usually the nicest was a bit of a brat! So she clearly wants them knowing she will be above them in the pecking order


No one else cares about them and sort of just went about doing their things. Chicken dynamics is so entertaining to me! They all mainly coop up with their “groups” but some…mainly the Polish and silkies…do what they want and go where they please. Partly from derpy unawareness and partly from sassy “I do what I want-ness”