Integrating my young pullets and cockerels with my older feisty hens….

[Cheekychook12]

I think the time has come to integrate my younger birds with my adult hens, my young birds who are almost full sized have outgrown the small pen I raised them in, and it’s time to move them into my bigger pen with my hens
However introducing them has not gone well, the cockerels fight with the adult hens through a fence enough to damage each other, and they won’t back down
What’s the best way to safely introduce these guys? I have 12 younger birds and four older hens

 

[BigBlueHen53]

How many cockerels? Any young pullets? How long have they shared the fence?

 

[Cheekychook12]

How many cockerels? Any young pullets? How long have they shared the fence?

5 cockerels, some of which I’m in the process of trying to rehome, 7 young pullets
They have not shared a fence long, I just let the big hens out to free range, they are able to damage each other through the fence i shooed her away

 

[Cheekychook12]

I’m thinking of putting a double fence up, two fences with a gap in between so they can see but not touch

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I would leave them in that arrangement for a couple of weeks. We call that a "see-no-touch" arrangement. Over time they should get accustomed to each other and stop threatening and posturing. You can scatter treats like scratch along both sides of the fence and that will help as they learn to eat side by side. Then you should be able to open them up to mingle with pretty good results, but be sure to have "clutter" on both sides they can use to hide from each other, and have multiple feeders and waterers.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Can you just put smaller chicken wire or 1/2" hardware cloth on the fence to keep them from making contact?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

How old are the young ones? Did you quarantine them before putting them side by side?

 

[Cheekychook12]

I would leave them in that arrangement for a couple of weeks. We call that a "see-no-touch" arrangement. Over time they should get accustomed to each other and stop threatening and posturing. You can scatter treats like scratch along both sides of the fence and that will help as they learn to eat side by side. Then you should be able to open them up to mingle with pretty good results, but be sure to have "clutter" on both sides they can use to hide from each other, and have multiple feeders and waterers.

I think I will do that, I have been trying the eat together one
I will include plenty of clutter, my little birds are more agile so that should work

 

[Cheekychook12]

Can you just put smaller chicken wire or 1/2" hardware cloth on the fence to keep them from making contact?

No but I do have something with a similar sized hole that I can use

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Keep in mind that chicken wire is only designed to control chickens. It does not protect them from predators, most of whom can easily tear right through it.