How do i know the new members of flock are being accepted?

[SoutheastAK_chickens]

I have five chickens and recently got two silkies that are older than my girls. We did the introduction. kept them in a kennel for three days inside the run. We have them out of the kennel now and having to put them in the coop at night (leaving the door open so they can get away from the others if they decide to go after them) ive noticed my rooster my other silkie and one of my frizzles dont bother the new girls really at all (rooster definitely mates with atleast one of them) but my dark brahma and my other frizzle chase them sometimes but nothing that seems to intense to me. So what are good signs your flock is cool with them?

 

[DobieLover]

You need to leave the newcomers in the separated area for a MINIMUM of one week before letting them out. I would let them out after locking the original flock in the coop. Let them explore the run first for about an hour. Then let the flock out to intermingle and stick around for a while to monitor. Chasing is fine. Even pecking at them is fine. A little blood and screaming is truly fine. Jumping on and pummeling or relentless pursuit is NOT fine.

Have LOTS of things in the run to jump up on and perch, hide behind and scratch around in as well as feed at many locations is key to a successful integration. The newcomers need places to get away from the originals when they drive them off.

I recently integrated 4 week old chicks seamlessly into my flock of 21 birds ranging in age to three-three month old cockerels up to 6.5 year old rooster and original hens. They were not bothered in the least.

This is them at 5.5 weeks when they finally got brave enough to leave the run and explore the pen with the flock.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So what are good signs your flock is cool with them?

Age and maturity can have a big effect on how they interact. If one group is less mature than the other then you can expect them to remain separated. I'll assume all of yours are mature.

When are they OK with each other? When they are safe. No blood and no vicious attacks. They will determine where they stand in the pecking order. Sometimes that can involve vicious fighting, often it is more intimidation. Some pecking or chasing is fine. What I'd worry about is if one continually pecks at another, especially at the head as if they are trying to drill a hole into the brain. A chicken going after the other from a distance away and being serious about chasing could be a problem. If the only interaction is when one invades the personal space of another and it is not vicious I would not worry at all.

To me it sounds as if you are doing great.

 

[SoutheastAK_chickens]

Age and maturity can have a big effect on how they interact. If one group is less mature than the other then you can expect them to remain separated. I'll assume all of yours are mature.

When are they OK with each other? When they are safe. No blood and no vicious attacks. They will determine where they stand in the pecking order. Sometimes that can involve vicious fighting, often it is more intimidation. Some pecking or chasing is fine. What I'd worry about is if one continually pecks at another, especially at the head as if they are trying to drill a hole into the brain. A chicken going after the other from a distance away and being serious about chasing could be a problem. If the only interaction is when one invades the personal space of another and it is not vicious I would not worry at all.

To me it sounds as if you are doing great.

So far all of them seem okay my frizzle and dark brahma do chase them here and there but its not constant. but we set up a board against the side of the run that only the two new girls can get in so that they do have a place to hide. And we have let them all free range together for the first time introduction. Oh and last night I went down to move the new girls into the coop and one of them was actually in with the rest I was so proud!

 

[SoutheastAK_chickens]

You need to leave the newcomers in the separated area for a MINIMUM of one week before letting them out. I would let them out after locking the original flock in the coop. Let them explore the run first for about an hour. Then let the flock out to intermingle and stick around for a while to monitor. Chasing is fine. Even pecking at them is fine. A little blood and screaming is truly fine. Jumping on and pummeling or relentless pursuit is NOT fine.

Have LOTS of things in the run to jump up on and perch, hide behind and scratch around in as well as feed at many locations is key to a successful integration. The newcomers need places to get away from the originals when they drive them off.

I recently integrated 4 week old chicks seamlessly into my flock of 21 birds ranging in age to three-three month old cockerels up to 6.5 year old rooster and original hens. They were not bothered in the least.
View attachment 3941252
This is them at 5.5 weeks when they finally got brave enough to leave the run and explore the pen with the flock.

We did three days mostly because my bf felt so bad for them being locked in the kennel (we let the other girls free range and let them play in the run atleast twice a day) when we decided to take the kennel away we actually set a board up against the side of the run so they do have a place to get away and the bigger chickens can't get in there. And we do throw treats out and that does seem to help a lot. But to me it seems like one of the new girls is doing well with the rest and one of them seems depressed and likes to stay in one spot and stares out the fence unless one of my other girls go near her then she runs

 

[SoutheastAK_chickens]

We did three days mostly because my bf felt so bad for them being locked in the kennel (we let the other girls free range and let them play in the run atleast twice a day) when we decided to take the kennel away we actually set a board up against the side of the run so they do have a place to get away and the bigger chickens can't get in there. And we do throw treats out and that does seem to help a lot. But to me it seems like one of the new girls is doing well with the rest and one of them seems depressed and likes to stay in one spot and stares out the fence unless one of my other girls go near her then she runs

I also have kicked the two that go after them out to free range and left the other three in with the new girls and none of them bothered them at all they were even eating together