Roosting/Introducing newbies

[Joshie]

We have chicks hatched April 1st (or end of March) and some hatched May 1st. Little ones are, let's say, not so little. We also have one lone mutt that hatched out of a neighbor's egg. I'd only seen the mutt up on the roosts until today. Today I saw one or two sitting there and one White Rock up on the top of the side of the baby pen they were in when much younger. Wouldn't you have expected them to start roosting by now?

So far, we've kept the chicks separated from the hens. The chicks are more numerous than the hens and I'd like to even them out some. Today we put the largest Buckeye chick and the largest White Rock in with the hens just to see how they did. It was funny because these two think they rule the roost. None of the hens picked on them but they were scared. They were taken down a peg or two.

So... when do you introduce your birds to one another? Would it be better to just add a few chicks to the hen pen? Would it be better to introduce them outside? Chicks have not been out yet. When we bring the hens in from outside we usually just pick them up. It's been easier than herding them. The chicks are not as easy to pick up.

The White Rocks are already larger than the adult hens. The largest buckeye is larger than our EEs but not quite as filled out as our Orps. The younger Buckeyes are not as large as even the EEs so I'd be hesitant to introduce them. The hens have never seen a cockerel.

So... when and how would you do the intro? Would you suggest starting with cockerel introduction or pullet? I can't tell cockerel/pullet differences totally.

[praieri winds]

it sounds like it is time to put them all together but need to do it at night will be less of a shock when they wake up at sunrise then they will know where their roost is after a couple of days of being locked up in the new pen they should go to bed by themselves when it starts to get late evening with any trouble

[Joshie]

No, they know where the roosts are. They just don't use them.

[Sanza]

I usually let the older layers and the young chicks mix and mingle when they free range and it makes it easy to combine them all in one coop. However, if you are adding the "teens" to the adults try doing the whole flock rather then only 1 or 2 at a time so they don't "lose their flock" and be intimidated by the adults.

[lauriej57]

I usually have the best luck integrating when they are freeranging also. Everyone is so busy scratching and exploring they dont' notice each other so much, plus the younger ones can find places to hide if they get picked on too much.

You can also try putting a couple of the older ones in with they younger ones. It's better to have a higher ratio of young ones when introducing, safety in numbers.

You say the chicks haven't been out free ranging yet? You might be in for a surprise the first time yo do. I go through this every year when I first let out my young ones...just like teenagers, they don't like to go into the coop until it is almost totally dark outside. I can get my flock from last year into their coop/run almost any time of the day, just throw some food down in the run and they come running. But the young ones, doesn't matter, food or not, they don't like to go in until they are good and ready.
Just thought I'd warn you to be prepared.

[Joshie]

Originally Posted by lauriej57

You say the chicks haven't been out free ranging yet? You might be in for a surprise the first time yo do. I go through this every year when I first let out my young ones...just like teenagers, they don't like to go into the coop until it is almost totally dark outside. I can get my flock from last year into their coop/run almost any time of the day, just throw some food down in the run and they come running. But the young ones, doesn't matter, food or not, they don't like to go in until they are good and ready.
Just thought I'd warn you to be prepared.

That's the reason they've not been outside. Funny thing is.... to get the chicks into the barn, we have to carry them in. When we've let the older ones some of them fly into the chicks' pen. They like the chick food better than grass and bugs, I guess.