Mixing Chicken Breeds in Coop. Will my Chickens survive??

[JessePeepman]

I am worried that my chickens might be injured after adding them to an existing flock of 7 Black Sex Links and 7 Red Sex Links they are all roughly 2 months.

My chicks are 6 weeks old. (They might be 7, but I'm counting from when I purchased them). One RIR, one light Sussex, and 2 Red Sex Links. This week, I transitioned them from their brooder to a pen inside of the coop. I wasn't able to put the pen right outside for space reasons. I decided to keep them in the pen for one week until I can take them out so they can interact with the other 14 chickens for maybe an hour and then put them back. I do not plan to completely remove them from the pen until 4 weeks have passed.

I've read that you should try to keep the flock as homogeneous as possible to reduce pecking, but I've already bonded with my 4 and have no choice but to add them with the existing flock.

Am I going about this the right way? Will my chickens be safe?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I've combined all kinds of breeds without problems. Usually you need to be careful with crested breeds, mixing standards and some bantams, and game bird breeds. Most others are fine together.

It may take some time to get the two separate groups to accept each other, but that's because they weren't raised together, not because of different breeds.

 

[JessePeepman]

I've combined all kinds of breeds without problems. Usually you need to be careful with crested breeds, mixing standards and some bantams, and game bird breeds. Most others are fine together.

It may take some time to get the two separate groups to accept each other, but that's because they weren't raised together, not because of different breeds.

That makes sense. Thank you for your response

 

[0die]

Very likely you will have problems with the odd birds out. Every time I have same multiple of the same breed, they will form their own sub-group. So I always buy only 1 of each breed.

I was once "gifted" 3 hens. 2 were barred rock and I already had one. well my barred left her mixed clan in a day and the 3 barred rocks became their own clan.

Birds of a feather will flock together.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It may take some time to get the two separate groups to accept each other, but that's because they weren't raised together, not because of different breeds.

This.

It is normal with mine for the young ones to form a sub-flock until they mature enough to join the pecking order. For pullets that is usually about the time they start to lay. Until then, they avoid the adults. Integration may create some issues but many of us go through that a few times each year.

Birds of a feather will flock together.

They do. Quail flock with quail. Ducks flock with ducks. Ostrich flock with ostrich. Chickens flock with chickens.

I know that is not what you meant. I sometimes see my flock separate into cliques or smaller groups. Occasionally that might even be by color. But when it is I think it has a lot more to do with which chicks were raised together than because of feather color. Or personality. I remember a group of 2 yellow and a black that would go off to great distances exploring while the rest of the flock stayed near the coop. Other blacks and yellows stayed with the main group.

 

[0die]

no, they will migrate to their own breeds if they have that option. I have witnessed it. So I always try to have only one of each breed so they form mixed groups.

If you have a hand full of each breed then they will often just form their own packs.

If you have several of one type and then a single "other", that other is gonna be picked on.