29 March 2023
Chickens have a hierarchy system, which can make introducing new chicks to a flock difficult. But my approach helped make this a smoother transition for my flock. You will need to understand the pecking order and how your hens will communicate this to the new chicks. It is important to remember that chickens need to establish a pecking order to retain their hierarchy system within the flock. By utilizing my technique below you will be able to reduce the stress for your hens when introducing new chicks to a flock.
Successfully introducing new chicks to a flock starts with understanding pecking order. Chicks will begin establishing their pecking order just days after hatching. Usually the bigger/stronger chicks will rise to the top. Eventually, the smaller chicks will learn how to interact with those at the top of the pecking order. Anyone at the top gets access to food and water first, the highest spot on the roost, the coziest nesting box, etc. The chicks at the bottom of the pecking order have to learn to wait their turn.
When adding new chicks to a flock, it's likely that all your hens will begin establishing dominance over the newbies. You will notice your hens strutting around, flapping their wings, fluffing their feathers, and doing a whole lot of squawking. They are attempting to show the new chicks that they are above them in the pecking order. When that doesn't work, they will resort to pecking at the chicks. Although it may seem violent, it is a process that needs to take place for your flock to uphold their social order.
When is the right time to introduce chicks to a flock? Around 8-10 weeks old is the ideal age to begin incorporating your flock. Your chicks will be big enough to protect themselves by this age.
The size of your established flock vs. the new chicks matters. You are going to have a very hard time introducing just one chick to multiple hens. I would suggest introducing no less than two chicks at once, and more if you're able to. I found that adding three chicks to a flock of three hens worked really well.
When your chicks are 8 weeks, start getting them used to the coop. My chicken coop has an attached run and I let my chickens out daily to free range. I would let my hens out of the enclosed run to free range and put the chicks in the run to explore. I did this for 2 hours daily after I got home from work so I could keep an eye on the chicks. You can set this up in whatever way works for you. If your hens don't free range, but you have an enclosed run, try putting your hens in the run and closing up the coop. Then you can put your chicks in the coop to explore. What you're trying to achieve is letting the hens and chicks become aware of each other and give the chicks some stress free time to learn the new environment.
Once the hens and chicks are aware of each other you can set up a 'look but don't touch" situation. Here's what it looked like for me: The chicks moved outside into the enclosed run in a large dog crate. The chicks had their own feed, water, and roost. The hens could see and hear them, but they couldn't peck them. This begins the process of establishing the new pecking order. The hens will begin strutting around the chicks, fluffing up their feathers, flapping those wings, and squawking up a storm. The chicks will learn their behaviors and begin to understand where they fall in the pecking order. During this week the chicks free ranged in the backyard for an hour. Then they would go back into the enclosed run to continue exploring while the hens free ranged.
Before fully incorporating the flock I set up the coop/enclosed run so that the chicks had access to their own food, water, and shelter. I did this by setting the dog crate up in the corner where only the chicks could fit through the door. I put their water in the crate, but I set up their feeder outside the crate. The chicks needed to be leaving the crate to start fully incorporating with the flock. Their feeder was low to the ground and filled with grower feed. I elevated the hens feeder so that the chicks could not reach it because it was filled with layer feed. This kept the chicks from being pecked for eating the hens food, and helped me keep the feed separate.
Finally, the flock was ready to be fully incorporated. I took the chicks out to free range and let them roam around for about an hour. Then, I let the hens out and kept a close eye on everyone. I felt like I was in a high school lunch room because the chicks only hung out with the chicks and the hens only hung out with the hens. It seemed the chicks had learned to be cautious around the hens, and the hens really didn't seem to care that there were chicks nearby. Occasionally, I'd hear a bunch of squawking and see a chick running for dear life from a hen, but I just sat back and kept a close eye from a distance.
Once the hens had gone to bed for the night I went outside and put the chicks on the roost. When the hens and chicks all wake up they feel like they are a flock because everyone has been on the roost together for the night. At the end of week 10 I removed the dog crate. The flock continued to establish their pecking order and the chicks were eventually accepted by the hens. There were some fights, there was a lot of pecking, and it was a noisy week of squawking. But there was no blood or injuries, and that's a win when introducing new chicks to a flock!