Chicken integration

Pawsitivity

In the Brooder
Jun 6, 2020
11
11
26
Bringing home 6 1.5 year old hens from one friend and 7,7 week old roosters from another friend. Do I integrate them all on the same day into the yard and the coop?
 
Am I reading that right....you're getting 7 seven week old males?
That could be a problem once they are about 3-4 months old.

Do I integrate them all on the same day into the yard and the coop?
That might work best.
Hopefully your coop is big and well ventilated enough to keep them confined there for at least a few days.
You may need to keep the 2 groups separate tho, so have a plan.

Here's some tips about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better.
Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/
 
I’ll just get one 7 week old make then. Can I put him and the hens in together on Tuesday? Coop is 4x6x6 with 4 nest boxes and 2 perches.
 
The 1.5 yr old hens live at a friends now and the rooster lives with another friend. Can I put them all together on Tuesday ?
 
I’ll just get one 7 week old make then. Can I put him and the hens in together on Tuesday? Coop is 4x6x6 with 4 nest boxes and 2 perches.
It's gonna be pretty hard to integrate a single chick with 6 older hens.
4x6 is just big enough for the hens.
I'd just hold off on the males for now.
I assume you are a new chicken keeper?
Integration and keeping males can be tricky.
 

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