Integrating New Flock Members - written in Spring, 2016, but not published at that time.
It was a stressful weekend. My two October 2015-born youngsters were put in with the rest of the flock this weekend. The young ones had been in the mini/nursery coop for a while before I let them run around all together, free range. This practice I had read about from one of the big-time chicken bloggers. Weeks of separate but together, she said. Both groups had ample opportunity to see each other, smell each other, and, as I found too late, despise each other. I want to help you through this process in ways that I do not really feel have been thoroughly covered in the online blogs I have read.
RULE #1: Make sure that you follow the 10 sq. ft. per bird rule to determine the size of your run.
I am currently undersized and I need to build an addition to my run ASAP since I have added two more. I have a smaller coop (4'x5' floor plan by over 5' tall with more than enough low and high roost space) which does not bother me, nor the flock, as they really only go in there to sleep, or one or two at a time, to lay their eggs. I enclose the entire run with plastic when winter comes so it is wind-free in the run - they are out all the time from sun up to sunset, by choice. A too-small run will prevent a bird being attacked from being able to get away. It is much too easy for them to hurt each other in a confined space. Respect and observe Rule #1.
RULE #2: Now that you know that Rule #1 is paramount, as soon as your young birds are a comparable size to the other members of your flock, integrate them. Do not wait and let them stare at each other like zoo animals for months. I should have integrated about a month before I did, but I was worried about my two roosters fighting. They attacked each other during free range time and stalked along each other's runs if I took turns letting them out. They get along better now that they are in the coop and run together than they did when they were separated.
RULE #3: Do it at night.
When the time comes to integrate your new flock members, wait until after it has actually been dark for about an hour so that all chickens are as chill as possible. Check quickly inside the main coop so that you know where the spaces to place the new members. Then, as silently as possible (do not talk to the chickens - it you rile them, that's on you!), and with as little light as possible, gently grab around the wings of the new chicken, lift and glide on over to the main coop to place the new guy right on a roost, making sure his feet are firmly on the 4" side of the 2x4 (which is what all roosts should be for maximum stability, better sleep, and less chance of frostbite). Remember, the birds are more than half asleep - safety first. Then repeat with multiple birds.
RULE #4: Don't sleep in the next morning.
Get right to the coop as soon as you can, because when day breaks, they will all see each other and it might not be a positive experience for everyone. If you know that your run truly is predator proof, leave the coop door open in case anyone needs to escape. Once the light hits their faces and they realize who is who, it can be unpredictable. I brought oatmeal to all on the first and second mornings of the integration and I provided three different bowls for the eight of them, the bowls all spread out in the run, to discourage pecking nonsense. My hen, Caroline, once the victim of bullying herself for months, has decided to be the main bully to my sweet Little Sister.
RULE #5: Create multi-levels for escape-needing birds! My run is over 6' tall and I have two full-width roosts. This has been a life-saver, quite literally, for Little Sister, as, after eating in the morning, she goes to the highest roost where no one harasses her. Her confidence is growing, being up there, and she can fly down easily to go back over to the coop to lay her eggs.
