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When I first started wimp safekeeping , I did n’t realise how much elevation chickens was like keep a garden . By that , I think there ’s the unremarkable daily sustenance like alimentation , lacrimation , and coop cleansing . That ’s like the garden tantamount to weeding , watering , and fertilise .
Then , there ’s dealing withflock healthand other challenge as they arrive up . That ’s like fighting pests and pathogen in the garden . But there ’s also this whole other part of sight keeping , that ’s kind of like turning the garden from time of year to season .
One of these less even aspects ofraising chickensis spate rotation , where you have to introduce unexampled chickens into your exist flock .
Why Chicken Flock Rotation?
lay chickens , just like crop , prison term out . They produce heavily for a while . Then , as they age , their fat system slack down too . Some chicken die new for various reasons . Others live on but do n’t lay orchis any longer . Some keep on laying , but at such a low-spirited rate , it cost you more to feed them than what you get back in output .
If you have inheritance breeds , they can have fairly good ball production for about 5 age . If you have production , commercial layers , they lay heavily the first two long time and then experience egg - haustion . That ’s because volaille can only develop so many eggs in their lifetime . Depending on their transmissible background signal , they either produce a draw of orchis upfront or a more even amount over a long catamenia of clip .
In either case though , there will come up a time when you need to insert young chickens to your flock to keep up egg production . Some hoi polloi do it one strike down slide . They serve their erstwhile wimp for stew meat and switch to their raw laying flock .
honestly , that ’s about the light way to do it – especially if you have production layers like commercial whiteleghorn chicken . But , not all of us chicken keeper are ready to roast our older layers all at once .
Some of us favour to premise fresh chickens into our existing flocks and keep a admixture of experienced layers and new layers together . I personally fall into the latter category . If you do too , this post is for you !
The Challenges when you Introduce New Chickens into an Old Flock
Before we look at some strategy for effective integration , let ’s spill the beans about the challenges . place Gallus gallus take rough five months to get to the point of ballad . Yet , even when they jump laying , they may not be at their full soundbox weight or have the authority that come from being an experient layer .
Lacking Size and Confidence
As such , new layers are at a disadvantage over wakeless , more experienced layers at the outset . That means they course start low on the pecking order of magnitude .
Exploring New Territory
When you also consider that new poulet do n’t know their way around the coop and run and need to get oriented for a few week before they experience at household , size of it is n’t their only disadvantage .
Facing Territorial Natives
Then , let ’s supply in the fact that chickens are also territorial and will agitate to keep perceived outsiders from move into their cozy coops and runs .
When you put all these factors together , it ’s guarantee to be challenge to desegregate new chickens into an old wad .
10 Tips for Successfully Integrating New Hens into an Old Laying Flock
Absolutely none of the tips I am about to give you will change the fact that integration is never wanton . That being said , there are means to minimize emphasis to your old and new chickens , reduce the endangerment for injury , accelerate acceptance , and attain harmony quicker so you could get on with your dreaming of idyllic homestead know .
Here are some strategies that have worked well for me .
Tip 1: The More the Merrier
I once tried to integrate three hen into a flock of twenty . Between my cock raping them and most of my with child hens bullying them , those three little ladies took quite a beating .
It did n’t weigh that I afford them clock time to acclimate through a fence before intromission , or that I did it in the dawn and spent the day look out and intervening for their guard . It simply did n’t process .
I ended up kick in those ladies their own blank until they sized up and a few more of my older girl time out . Then , when the odds were a bit better , the integrating went just fine .
Now , I aim to spread the ill-usage by summate large groups of unexampled chickens at once . By adding as many fresh chickens as I have old in my flock , I even the playing subject area . Then , the bullying gets dispersed .
Rooster attention is also spread thinner . So new girl are n’t overstressed . Plus , those new ladies have a group of other hens to find consolation with through those first few horrendous week .
Tip 2: Rock the Rooster
I know you ca n’t always double your good deal size of it just to integrate a few extra laying hens . But if you replace your rooster when you introduce new chicken you could utilize your novel cock to foster right diplomatical relations .
Now , you do need to get rid of your sometime cock first . Or , your old cock will attempt to kill your novel rooster and that can be even more brutal than what hens do to each other . But , rooster need regular replacement too . So if its time anyhow , then you should definitely take advantage of this trick .
By raising my young cock with my new girl , then introducing the new cock to the quondam flock for a few days before I land in the lady , it creates a bridge between onetime and new . This works because when you remove a cock , your flock is a bit confused .
So , they run to be pretty welcoming of a new cock to fill the void . Then , your young rooster remember those other young woman . When you bring them in , the rooster use his newfound big businessman with the old little girl to help make an easier transition for the new girl .
Roosters are n’t often recognize for diplomacy , but the smashing chemical attraction for the troop he was parent with and his excitement over the experienced ladies in his company is a good motivator to keep the peace . Keep in mind this only works if your rooster is an alpha though . If your rooster is too cherubic , those older layers will shred him too .
Tip 3: Be Breed Conscientious
Some breeds are more territorial and hard to integrate with than others . Rhode Island Reds , Barred Rocks , Delawares , andBlack Copper Maranstend to be more territorial thanBuff Orpingtons , Lakenvelders , Australorps , Buckeyes , Silver Gray Dorkings , Speckled Sussex , and Creve Coeur .
Now , that ’s just my experience . But if you use the online forums and show up on chicken integration , you could glean a quite a little of information about which stock seem better suited to easy integrations .
If you plan to do this annually or every other year to reincarnate your laying content , then concenter onchoosing Gallus gallus breedsthat tend toward peaceful changeover .
Tip 4: Target Molting Season
Another scheme that has do work well for me is to move my fresh hens in when my sometime hens aremolting . When hen are slough , they seem to be more reserved . I suspect their raw country and the energy involved in feather production make them feel kind of vulnerable .
I also think onetime chickens appear less intimidating to your non - molting first - year chicken when they appear half - plucked . That seems to give new girls a bit more sureness in the grimace of adversity than being approached by a puffed - up egg - producing princess .
Tip 5: Integrate Late
I am always eager to integrate my fresh layer sooner rather than later so that I do n’t have to sustain two coops . But , waiting until your new layer size up and maybe even start laying will set them up for more success .
There ’s something in that hormonal substitution between being a non - stratum to being a layer that also seems to stir up the fighting spirit of a chicken . As their comb start to redden and engorge , so does their gumption .
Tip 6: Use a Ruse
As I said earlier , you may not require to add 15 laying hen to your flock of 15 laying hens . But maybe you could contrive in a few sacrificial meat birds to even up the figure .
If you pick out slower growing meat bird varieties like theJersey Giant , Delawares , or Langshans you’re able to time their processing for after your other layer are in full desegregate into your older laying hatful .
Tip 7: Timing Is Everything!
One of the things I often see in station about chicken integration is that some people say to introduce birds into your henhouse at night so the chickens can acclimate while they rest . Other multitude say do n’t do this because it can be a blood bathing tub .
What I notice about these two perspective is that each chemical group is caring for chickens in unlike ways . The put them in at night crew seem to have much great chicken coop and heap of roost blank . The blood bathtub camp tends to have small coops . Also , thenight crowdoften allow their poulet out to vagabond early in the morning , while theblood bathing tub campmay just have diminished affiliated runs with automatic opener that open up in full light .
candidly , if you have a large henhouse with lots of unlike roost area for snort to isolate themselves , and you allow your birds out betimes , then night time seems to be a perfect meter for introductions . Just do it after dark when your old flock is already in place . Then , make certain to let everyone out early in the morning to limit disputes .
If you have a little cage and are n’t as dedicated about opening your coop at dawn , then do introductions while you are present . You may even want to lease your current plenty out for a lilliputian free range time while you stick in raw chickens into the coop and let them to learn their way around . Then , when your old peck comes home to perch , your novel chickens will know where to track down for safety .
Tip 8: Overcompensate
You know those parents who purchase their kids material to compensate for spend too much time at work or out of guilt for some other perceive failure ? Well , take a Sir Frederick Handley Page from their playbook just this once .
cover for the stress you are putting your flock under during this forced integration by order provender andwater containersall - around your chicken coop and runnel .
By offer more food for thought in different emplacement , you ensure that everyone gets to exhaust and that there ’s less competition over perceived limited resources . Your chicken will likely burn extra calories by chasing or being chase . Also , water system often gets spilled in Gallus gallus skirmishes , so keeping extra around ensures your girl all get access to quench their hunger after cannonball along about .
Tip 9: Patience is a Virtue, Until it
Isn’t
For the most part , as long as you have enough room in yourcoopand run , when add right - sized chickens in good health to a mint that is also in good health , integrating happens in a few weeks . Pecking order gets established , routines ensue , and harmony is eventually achieved .
In rare case though , sometimes integrating fails . Perhaps a chicken has a wellness defect that makes them more prostrate to pecking . Or , mayhap you ’re append too many chickens to an already occupied space . If your chicken ’s health is at risk from invariant pecking and things are n’t tranquilize down , then you need to take activity .
You may need to cull older chicken to make elbow room for new . You may require to re - home new chickens that just are n’t right for your stack . Or , you may need to offer alternate accommodations to misfits . Confined chickens do sometimes demand intervention to ensure that your flock does n’t run too risky .
Tip 10: Be Ready to Round ’em Up
Modern chicken are often reluctant to roost in the hencoop . You may find them trying to twist anything elevated off the ground into an alternative roosting space . So , give yourself a small extra time when set up chickens up at night to round up any missing chickens and safely steady down them into the chicken coop .
Leading Your Flock
If you are like me , your troop is household . You care about their well - being and it ’s heavy to watch them fight over what seems like silly non - problems . But , even if you treat your crybaby like family , you need to take on that they still have their own customs and rituals that can be hard for us humans to empathize .
With any healthy Gallus gallus flock , you will have to introduce novel chickens from metre to time , but it can be a touch-and-go cognitive process . Here’re some integration tips .
Do what you may to make the transition as strain - free as potential . Yet , unless a wimp ’s tenacious - full term wellness is at risk , also make peace with the fact that chicken need to be appropriate to be chickens .
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