When do you decide to integrate?

[Greenereveryday]

I just introduced 2 18 week old Red Stars to my established 4 Americaunas. I gave them just a couple of hours separated and then open the gate to each other. The Reds are afraid and the Black ones won't socialize. The older one will run after the baby reds a little but they mostly keep to themselves. Do you think they will warm up to each other? They do sleep in the same little coop together. ??

 

[brewfarm]

Chickens do not like change. Yes they will warm up to each other. But, it may take a few days. I would have separated them for a couple of days, not hours, but it should work.

 

[Caring1]

I integrate by keeping the newbies separate but visible - for a week or so.
When they appear calm around each other I will allow them to co mingle and make sure there are 'safe places' to run to and hide in - but rarely an issue there may be a little chasing at first but the older hens tend to give up on quickly cause the young'uns are so much faster.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

My first hens all died.So we started over with soem pullets and practically through them in with our only adult hen left.Soon after,she died,than we decided to get 12 pullets.Evwry year I put them in at different ages.The year I got those pullets I introduced around five months I wanna day,and didn’t do it like that again.None of the birds ever came in cocntact with one another,but did see each other through a a cage.After introducing a hen I than took a few form batch twelve and through them in adult pen.Within seconds the arguing was over,most of the pullets,accept the hens who swore they ran everything,did not fight.I than added all the rest later on (can’t remember probably a week or a day lol).Most batches put with adults as babies have mothers.This is my first year keeping Babies with the adults for good.No sleeping in their own cage when it’s time to get put up,their all in one cage,so far no issues.All the chicks are between one week,and 4 weeks.My first hatching chciks I kept the mother with my young pullets,once they grew they all were in a cage together.My second tien hatching I hatched three boys and added them in at four months.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

A lot depends on your space, and your set up. If you have sufficient space, and hide outs in your set up, multiple levels in your set up, multiple feed bowls, then you can have more kinds of chickens. If you want to wait until you start loosing your red productions birds, that is fine.

Beware of assigning an attitude to a breed, some are and some are not of pretty much any breed.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I introduce @ 24 weeks old if going into my existing egg maker population. But I am set up that way.
Different times for different purposes-egg pro/breeding/meat/sales/special needs/retirement/swapping etc