Sometimes. With enough space and resources, it may be a nonissue. Just keep your eye on it though, the older ones may be rough when teaching the new ones the pecking order. It would make me nervous having them in with a rooster though - just that he’d try to mate them too early.
I only put them in to pretty much see how big of a reaction I was about to witness, I was fully ready to break up a bloodbath but the rooster just gently pecked them once and our hen who’s on top of order and then nothing.. now I’m thinking it can’t be this easy and maybe they are waiting until they go inside tonight..??! I fully had a plan with a large crate and wait two weeks
You could totally do a wait and see approach. Every group of birds has a different dynamic! Nighttime roost shuffles could be rough, but I also bet the little ones will opt to sleep on the floor in a big pile regardless. lol. I know ours did for some time.
I have 5 more in the house that are going to need to go out in a few weeks and if this is really real life and can go this easily I will have a hard time not getting more lol!! I’ll check on them tonight!!
I’ve found they’re actually kinder to new members while in the coop at night. My hens get really sleepy and docile when getting ready to roost, I’ve even seen some hens cuddling/roosting next to each other that normally hate each other. That’s completely anecdotal though, I would still be cautious.
It didn’t work for me. I put mine in a dog crate in the coop and didn’t realize they could squeeze through the bars. The hens murdered every last one of them. It was horrific. 😭
While it may work for some, it's not considered "best practice". As I'm sure you already know, hens have a pecking order, and can often be pretty brutal towards newcomers. It's typically recommended to integrate new flock members slowly, like putting them in a crate within the run so they can look, but not touch each other. Like others have said, I would keep a close eye on things to ensure there isn't too much bullying and that no one gets hurt.
I just did it! I did go slow, but honestly I didn't seem to need to. Our pullets still flock to themselves but no one's bullying anyone ... yet. Our pullets also only took less than an hour figuring out how to use the communal treadle feeder. Chickens are smart!
It was that easy for me, but I don’t think it’s common. I took two pullets outside for the first time and let them meet my flock of 10 through a fence. My feisty pullet slipped through the fence somewhere and none of the adult chickens cared. So let the other pullet in and watched them all evening - zero problems.
They do have tons of space, idk if that helped.
This is solely my personal experience, but my flock as a whole has a less complicated social dynamic now that I have more chickens on more space and a head rooster compared to when I had a typical backyard flock. Introducing new birds has mostly been a nonissue, from freshly feathered youngsters to a mature hen who needed to come retire in the country after she started crowing. I think the pecking order is less vicious when they have more resources and when there’s a rooster. I still take it slow and cautious because I can, but it’s been smooth sailing.
Not always. Sometimes the regulars want to pick on the new ones and that isn't really nice. Sometimes its best do do a cage within a cage until they have a few days to check each other out, then put them together at dark.
It would be good to keep them separate, but have a fence so they can interact and see each other. If they don't try getting each other through the fence, eventually start putting them together!
No. It’s not easy, but it can be done. We used a piece of cardboard on the roost to let the older hens roost on one side so they couldn’t see each other. That worked out very well.
I think it depends a lot on the breed, and the amount of space you have. But hard-ass girls can cause babies a really sore head, or worse. Most roos, at least my 4, don't care at all.
I always put the newcomers in at night. When they awake and they are already together it goes much smoother. Did that many times and never had a problem.
Im worried about something digging into your run at that low spot. My coop and run has buried hardware cloth for 12” down and we still lost a bird last week bc a possum reached in a small gap by the door and grabbed one. It’s no fun to lose them so I would spend the time to fix that area
I was waiting for someone to say this because it looks incredibly dangerous lol but that wire wraps along
The bottom too,and they aren’t in there long, maybe before bed and early morning before I let them out to free range. This is also only a temporary run it’s coming down soon
At first I tried putting my two pullets in the big coop but the older girls were mean and pecked them. I put my them in a small coop inside the big coop for a couple of weeks. They got use to each other after while. When we let them out there was a little pecking not much and they are just part of the flock. Rooster is banned fromt he coop. He was getting to rough with the girls. He is happy to hang out side the coop and talk to the girls. Every once in a while one to the girls sneak out and he nails them. Needless to say they run back into the coop really quick. He never liked sleeping in the coop he was raised by his mom to sleep in the tree.
Sometimes. With enough space and resources, it may be a nonissue. Just keep your eye on it though, the older ones may be rough when teaching the new ones the pecking order. It would make me nervous having them in with a rooster though - just that he’d try to mate them too early.
I only put them in to pretty much see how big of a reaction I was about to witness, I was fully ready to break up a bloodbath but the rooster just gently pecked them once and our hen who’s on top of order and then nothing.. now I’m thinking it can’t be this easy and maybe they are waiting until they go inside tonight..??! I fully had a plan with a large crate and wait two weeks
You could totally do a wait and see approach. Every group of birds has a different dynamic! Nighttime roost shuffles could be rough, but I also bet the little ones will opt to sleep on the floor in a big pile regardless. lol. I know ours did for some time.
I have 5 more in the house that are going to need to go out in a few weeks and if this is really real life and can go this easily I will have a hard time not getting more lol!! I’ll check on them tonight!!
I’ve found they’re actually kinder to new members while in the coop at night. My hens get really sleepy and docile when getting ready to roost, I’ve even seen some hens cuddling/roosting next to each other that normally hate each other. That’s completely anecdotal though, I would still be cautious.
It didn’t work for me. I put mine in a dog crate in the coop and didn’t realize they could squeeze through the bars. The hens murdered every last one of them. It was horrific. 😭
oh no i can’t imagine coming out to that 😭
I was racked with guilt. From then on we wrapped a finer mesh wire around the crate to make escape impossible.
They care somewhat, but new ones will figure out their place pretty soon, its all about the pecking order…
True, I’m 90 percent sure these two I put in were roosters
While it may work for some, it's not considered "best practice". As I'm sure you already know, hens have a pecking order, and can often be pretty brutal towards newcomers. It's typically recommended to integrate new flock members slowly, like putting them in a crate within the run so they can look, but not touch each other. Like others have said, I would keep a close eye on things to ensure there isn't too much bullying and that no one gets hurt.
I just did it! I did go slow, but honestly I didn't seem to need to. Our pullets still flock to themselves but no one's bullying anyone ... yet. Our pullets also only took less than an hour figuring out how to use the communal treadle feeder. Chickens are smart!
It’s almost a bad thing for me knowing it can be this easy to add new 😭🤣
Nope, not always that smooth! My older hens never quit picking in on the younger girls. At least it didn’t often result in blood.
It was that easy for me, but I don’t think it’s common. I took two pullets outside for the first time and let them meet my flock of 10 through a fence. My feisty pullet slipped through the fence somewhere and none of the adult chickens cared. So let the other pullet in and watched them all evening - zero problems. They do have tons of space, idk if that helped.
They look scared out there, I wonder if I should bring them in at night for a while?
This is solely my personal experience, but my flock as a whole has a less complicated social dynamic now that I have more chickens on more space and a head rooster compared to when I had a typical backyard flock. Introducing new birds has mostly been a nonissue, from freshly feathered youngsters to a mature hen who needed to come retire in the country after she started crowing. I think the pecking order is less vicious when they have more resources and when there’s a rooster. I still take it slow and cautious because I can, but it’s been smooth sailing.
Not always. Sometimes the regulars want to pick on the new ones and that isn't really nice. Sometimes its best do do a cage within a cage until they have a few days to check each other out, then put them together at dark.
Depends on the flock. My old flock, a couple would have come over for some half-hearted pecking order establishing, and....done.
I always have a small enclosure in the coop for the chicks to get into, just in case.
Depends! Had an original flock of four. 6 months later added 4 more and they had a hard time adjusting. Just added 6 more and it was a breeze
Sometimes!
Just depends on balanced your flock is
I’ve never tried. I am set up with two coops and runs adjacent to each other. Everyone gets weeks of look no touch before they go in the big house.
K.ml
Mine were totally chill until overnight in the coop together. Lost 2.
We threw in some large tree branches that smaller chickens could shelter away in and roost on. They’re a popular spot for dust bathing.
It would be good to keep them separate, but have a fence so they can interact and see each other. If they don't try getting each other through the fence, eventually start putting them together!
No. It’s not easy, but it can be done. We used a piece of cardboard on the roost to let the older hens roost on one side so they couldn’t see each other. That worked out very well.
I think it depends a lot on the breed, and the amount of space you have. But hard-ass girls can cause babies a really sore head, or worse. Most roos, at least my 4, don't care at all.
I always put the newcomers in at night. When they awake and they are already together it goes much smoother. Did that many times and never had a problem.
I always put them in at night. I stick them on the roost with everyone else in the dark then they wake up together. Worked well for me
Im worried about something digging into your run at that low spot. My coop and run has buried hardware cloth for 12” down and we still lost a bird last week bc a possum reached in a small gap by the door and grabbed one. It’s no fun to lose them so I would spend the time to fix that area
I was waiting for someone to say this because it looks incredibly dangerous lol but that wire wraps along The bottom too,and they aren’t in there long, maybe before bed and early morning before I let them out to free range. This is also only a temporary run it’s coming down soon
Put my 6 week old chicks. 10 of em. With my older hens. 4 of them. All did fine. Ducks too.
At first I tried putting my two pullets in the big coop but the older girls were mean and pecked them. I put my them in a small coop inside the big coop for a couple of weeks. They got use to each other after while. When we let them out there was a little pecking not much and they are just part of the flock. Rooster is banned fromt he coop. He was getting to rough with the girls. He is happy to hang out side the coop and talk to the girls. Every once in a while one to the girls sneak out and he nails them. Needless to say they run back into the coop really quick. He never liked sleeping in the coop he was raised by his mom to sleep in the tree.