Integrating New Chickens Into Your Existing Flock
If you’ve owned chickens for any longer than, say, a few weeks, you probably have already observed behavior related to the “pecking order”. Since integrating new chickens to an existing flock messes up that delicate pecking order, let’s discuss some ways to help all of your chickens make friends and learn to get along with each other.
Any time we add new flock members (or take any away) there will be a new pecking order established. There will always be a little poking and pecking given to the newcomers, but if the introductions are done over time and with a little thought, no severe bloodshed should occur.
Whether you are adding day-old chicks or started pullets, the first thing you want to make sure of is that you keep any new birds isolated from your existing flock for a minimum of 2 weeks. This isolation period is probably easier to do with new chicks since they need to be in a brooder for about 6 weeks anyway. But it’s important to isolate older newcomers also. Different areas have different pathogens that exist in flocks. Your existing flock may be immune to a pathogen in your environment, but new birds may succumb to those same pathogens and become ill. Isolation and close observation will help you catch any issues early.
After the isolation phase comes the “separate but close” phase. Using fencing, dog crates or cages, section off an area of the existing birds’ coop, yard or run and allow the newcomers entry into this space. Everyone needs to spend some time seeing each other but not having full access. After a few days to a week of separation, most younger birds are ready to be introduced to the main flock.
The final phase is “supervised mingling” time. After spending some time seeing each other but not having access, your existing flock should be more relaxed about having the newcomers around. Now you will give your newcomers their first taste of true freedom, while you oversee how the mingling goes. It is common for the existing birds to chase the new ones, peck them at the feeders, and probably even grab and pull a few feathers. But any more brutality than that and you may need to separate back out and try again later. If all goes relatively well, you can leave the two groups to themselves as they establish a new pecking order. You do want to make sure in the evenings that the newcomers make it into the coop at night. The older birds get the first choice of the roosting spots and your new birds may be too afraid to enter the coop at night.
Hopefully, now you feel more confident about integrating new chickens to your existing flock. What helpful tips do you have for introducing new chickens into your flock? Leave us a comment below and tell us about it.
Related Posts You Might Like
October Book of the Month: Butchering Chickens
Master poultry processing with our October book of the month. Dive into knife choice, equipment, sanitation, slaughter, butchering, and packaging. Step-by-step guidance with vivid photos.
Ordering From Meyer Hatchery: Accidentally Received A Rooster
Did you accidentally receive a rooster in your order of hens? Here’s what to do next. Our gender accuracy policy and ideas for how to rehome.
Preparing Your Flock for an Emergency
Prepare your flock for emergencies. Meyer Hatchery shares tips and tricks for a flock preparedness kit and making sure your flock is ready for the unexpected.
I have6 6 week old pullets that I need to integrate in to my existing year old flock. My question is that to make sure the older girls knew where their home was we didn’t let them out of the coop for a week. How can I do this with the new ones? Won’t locking them all in with the older ones for a week be a disaster?
HI Nicole. Thanks for reading the blog! I like to wait until the younger birds are about 10-12 weeks old before trying to introduce them in with the existing, older birds. Two reasons: the chicks need to be large enough to withstand a little pecking from the older hens. It’s inevitable, there will be some pecking. Secondly, chicks at 6 weeks are highly susceptible to coccidia that the older birds likely are immune to. Waiting until the chicks are a little older will be better, but if you can’t wait, perhaps building a “holding area” inside the existing coop for the chicks will be a successful compromise. That way the chicks will learn where their new home is located while the older hens can still come and go as they please. I agree, locking everyone in together may be a disaster in the making.
A friend told me that whenever she gets new chickens (and I hope she does the quarantine period first) she waits until late at night when they are roosting/asleep and sits the new chickens on the roost. In the morning since their memories aren’t all that sharp, they just seem confused but there isn’t problems sorting themselves out. Thoughts on this technique?
Hi Tracy. Thanks for reading. I have also had good success with introducing newcomers at night (after my 3 week quarantine period has lapsed). It isn’t a 100% peaceful method, but it does seem that most chickens accept newcomers more readily if they wake up with them in the coop. Happy chickening!
I have 4 pullets that are 15 weeks and 3 pullets and 1 rooster that are 19 weeks. So far integration is ok. The older ones chase the young ones but nothing violent, but the rooster is making me nervous. He is so much bigger and he’s chasing the little ones and doesn’t back down until we intervene. Is this normal? We had them sleep together on the rooster bars last night without issue but I got up before sunrise to check on them and let everyone out. Is this the right way to do it? Should I give them more space to figure out their pecking order?
Hi Jessica. It sounds like you are doing everything you can to correctly integrate the two groups. It sounds like normal pecking order squabbles to me. The rooster is just protecting his hens. Having them all roost together and then letting them out early is a great idea and exactly how I like to finalize that integration process. You’re doing great!
Hi! I’m new at raising chickens and ducks. This is our first go around with both. The ducks are 3 weeks old and the chickens are 3.5 weeks old and today is the first day we are attempted to combine them into the large and spacious brooder together. We have 13 chickens and 3 ducks, all are hens. I thought the chickens would possibly gang up on the ducks (the numbers were in their favor) but the ducks seem to be the bullies. The ducks are Khaki Campbell and the chickens are a variety of breeds, not sure if that matters. One duck in particular seems to be more of a bully, intermittently running at the chickens, pecking and biting at them or actually biting them. I thought with them being young they would adjust quicker but is it just too soon? I also have 3 more ducks coming in two weeks, should I wait to introduce them once the others are in the coop and run full time?
Thank you for your help!!!
Hi Genna. We do not recommend brooding ducklings and chicks together in the same brooder. If given enough coop space, it is possible to house fully grown ducks and chickens together, but ducks require an open source of water to wash their bills in and are quite a lot messier than chickens for this reason. I personally find it easier to keep the ducks and chickens in separate housing because of the different needs for feeding, watering and personalities.
Hi. In the past we have purchased a few chicks in the Spring, so the logistics were a bit a different integrating them into the coop and other chickens. This time we ordered 6 new bantam chicks the last week of September 2021 with you….and now I’m trying to figure out the best and safest way to merge these new chickens with my current 8 standard chickens. I was reading that it’s better for Bantams to be 10-12 weeks of age before you attempt to add them to the coop…but then I’m concerned about the cold weather here in Ohio. Start taking them out in a pen for a hour or so? We have a large coop and fenced in free range area…should we also add a dog house or something they can find different shelter if they need? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Kelli
Hi Kelli. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. Adding bantams to an existing flock will work the same way as standard chickens. You’ll just need to watch closely for any aggression since the younger birds will also be smaller.
I have 6 older (4 RIR and 2 Cin Qn); have 3 newer birds (all different). I have been trying to integrate for weeks now (dog crate method); free range when I’m present. They chase/corner/peck – the older birds gang up on the new ones. I bring them back in the house at night, scared to put in coop at night for fear they may kill the new ones. I’m in week 3 of the dog crate method. Any other ideas appreciated. Thanks.
Hi Laura. Thank you for reading our blog and for leaving your question. You don’t mention how old the younger three chickens are, so assuming they are abou the same size as an adult hen (so at least 14 weeks of age or older) I would leave them in the coop at night with the older six chickens instead of bringing them into the house at night. The “out of sight, out of mind” period may be prolonging their integration into the current flock. As long as you are there to supervise and can step in if things get too intense, they will peck and corner as they all work out a new pecking order among them. There’s really no other way around the pecking if you want them all to eventually live in the same coop together.
I have 4 hens , 1 rooster. Its a calm group. I also have 15 hens 6 wks old in a brooder. Should I keep them in a fenced ,secure area next to the other large chicken pen and not let them in the roost area at night? Their pen is critter secure, next to the enclosed roost. Does a roost area have to have solid walls or can the walls be secure fencing. I also have a LGD on site for protection? My roost is a bit tight close quarters for 2o hens and 1 rooster.
Hi Valerie! Thanks for reading our blog. You would want an enclosed roost for weather (rain, cold, etc) purposes, but even just wrapping it with a tarp for a temporary solution as you introduce the new flock members, may be sufficient especially in warm months. It sounds like just keeping them in the secure area sharing a space with the full sized birds should work well for your flock.