When do you decide to integrate?

[TheJerzyHen]

Hi there I have two old hens.. almost 5. I got twelve new chicks at TSC that are 4 weeks old. We built a new coop, larger. We divided with a temp wall made from chicken wire and plan to add the new ones in there first then on the other side the older ladies. Do y’all think this is an acceptable way to integrate or no? Very cold here yet so my chicks are still inside in two big brooder bins but growing fast. All suggestions are appreciated! Thx Dawn

 

[aart]

Hi there I have two old hens.. almost 5. I got twelve new chicks at TSC that are 4 weeks old. We built a new coop, larger. We divided with a temp wall made from chicken wire and plan to add the new ones in there first then on the other side the older ladies. Do y’all think this is an acceptable way to integrate or no? Very cold here yet so my chicks are still inside in two big brooder bins but growing fast. All suggestions are appreciated! Thx Dawn

Brood in coop from a week after hatch, then integrate chicks at about 4 weeks.

 

[farmmanjim]

Biggest threat I find is larger birds will beat up and even kill small birds. I have a double pen. The new babies grow up in the one beside the older girls so they are used to each other. My older girls get to free range at least 4 days a week and their pens are huge. Once the new birds are laying and same size as the older girls I let them start free range together. Funny thing is each group goes back to their original pen and coop at night.

 

[FluffyButt789]

I have never had an issue with introducing new birds (chicks or other old hens) to my existing flock. I've done that over 5 times now. What I do is keep them separated (but still visible to each other) for a few weeks. They get to determine some pecking orders through the chicken wire without being able to seriously injure anyone. Once they can pass by each other and not peck or act aggressive (about 1-2 weeks after first introduction), I then put them all in the same coop for bedtime. The next morning, I make sure I let them out very early to watch how they interact when they leave the coop as one flock. My birds free-range and they do tend to separate themselves - one flock of the main hens, and one flock of the new hens. Over time they learn to roam together as one big flock. I hope that helps!

 

[ScottKelly1974]

I've always added new ones who were young, preferably chicks. That why they can learn from the older ones, and there will not be any leaders being kicked out of order. I most recently added four month olds to the flock. The other birds accepted them. But then there is the rooster who can also manage the flock. The new ones tend to keep their distance but then come in closer to the other birds. Over time the new ones are just like part of the flock. They get into the food with the older ones. They should be laying soon, and with a hen just gone broody, it will be interesting to see how the flock dynamics change.

 

[Cult-of-Trajan]

I have never had an issue with introducing new birds (chicks or other old hens) to my existing flock. I've done that over 5 times now. What I do is keep them separated (but still visible to each other) for a few weeks. They get to determine some pecking orders through the chicken wire without being able to seriously injure anyone. Once they can pass by each other and not peck or act aggressive (about 1-2 weeks after first introduction), I then put them all in the same coop for bedtime. The next morning, I make sure I let them out very early to watch how they interact when they leave the coop as one flock. My birds free-range and they do tend to separate themselves - one flock of the main hens, and one flock of the new hens. Over time they learn to roam together as one big flock. I hope that helps!

Exactly the same for me. I put the new girls in a tractor so that they can see & be seen but no injuries. After about 6 weeks old I start to let the young girls out, an hour before sunset at first (supervised) then 2 hours, and so on. Eventually they free range in their own gangs but as they get laying age they integrate much more.

 

[KentuckyJanet]

Exactly the same for me. I put the new girls in a tractor so that they can see & be seen but no injuries. After about 6 weeks old I start to let the young girls out, an hour before sunset at first (supervised) then 2 hours, and so on. Eventually they free range in their own gangs but as they get laying age they integrate much more.

I have 4 week old chicks and sent them out to the big coop a week ago. They also can see but not touch. They are staying in a large dog crate in the coop at night. And I have a separate fenced in area for the little ones during the day that is right next to the run for the older ones. The babies are loving their new life! I also plan to slowly begin integrate them at 6 weeks.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

We do it whenever we have a chicken die. We have a small flock, so it doesn't happen too often.

 

[brewfarm]

I had 43 Rhode Island Red hens. They were 8 months old when I got 52 new chicks. I built the brooder in the coop. They were completely walled off for the first month. After that the chicks were in the brooder, but separated from the rest of the coop with chicken wire. After 6.5 weeks the chicken wire came down. For the first week the chicks stayed in the coop and didn't venture out- except in ones and twos. By 8 weeks everybody was rushing out into the yard, when I opened the door in the morning, but they tend to stick to their age groups. I plan on doing basically the same thing next year.

 

[Cult-of-Trajan]

I have 4 week old chicks and sent them out to the big coop a week ago. They also can see but not touch. They are staying in a large dog crate in the coop at night. And I have a separate fenced in area for the little ones during the day that is right next to the run for the older ones. The babies are loving their new life! I also plan to slowly begin integrate them at 6 weeks.

Here’s the tractor and my makeshift temporary run for them to use