Introducing 2 clutches

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Cliodhna

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I have 2 beautiful welsummer girls who are now 9 weeks old and have started free ranging this week, and 3 6 week old chicks who are in a run inside the free range area (2 speckled sussex and 1 unknown breed but I suspect a hybrid).

The welsummers are really docile and are lovely natured girls, but one of the SS keeps trying to attack them through the wire of their run. Its the one who had diarrhea and I suspect, because of the aggressive behaviour is a male. He jumps at the wire with his feet up and growls at them. He hasnt started crowing yet, his comb is slightly bigger than the other two but nothing significant, he is never aggressive to his clutch mates only my two older and bigger welsummers.

I'm concerned that when the time comes to mix these two groups his aggression now will cause problems for the girls in his clutch later because of the association. I dont know for certain that it is a male, any other indicators I should be looking for, because then I will either rehome or cull him so that the girls can be a bit more harmonious.
 
Still too early to tell at 6 weeks Cliodhna, comb size is going to be the best indicator for you as you can get aggressive girls too,by 10 weeks you should know. While separated by mesh you tend to find that smaller birds will happily show aggression towards larger birds as they know that no harm can come to them. You will find that your Welsummers are not as docile as you think when you mix them together, myself and everyone I have known to own them have found them on the more aggressive side of breeds. The aggression shown now should have no bearing on things when they finally mix, there will be a showdown that will sort out the pecking order and bar the usual couple of weeks of 'handbags' they should settle down well if they have been in contact for such a long length of time.
 
The welsummers were the only 2 girls out of 6 and I suppose I presumed that is what had made them fairly docile, they often had to get out of the way of the boys when were always scrapping.

Am I right in thinking that I should hold off introducing them until they are of a similar size? I have no reason to rush putting them all together and was hoping that having them mix, albeit through a wire mesh, for a number of weeks will help everything go more smoothly when the time comes.
 
Yes you will be best waiting until they are all in lay before introducing them if you can as they will all then be fully mature with no one at a disadvantage, the fact they can see each other and will know each other well by then should make it go relatively smoothly.
 
I'm quietly confident (although perhaps mistakenly so) as all 5 of them have taken to lying together (albeit through the mesh). The two welsummers lie against the run and the three inside come and lie with them. I havent seen any spats for a few days now and they seem to be grooming each other through the mesh.

There doesnt seem to be an established pecking order though, or at least not one that I am aware of. Perhaps still to young (welsummers are 10 weeks on Friday, and other three are 7 weeks over the weekend) But whereas with my ex-batts it was obvious who was in charge, with these, it doesnt seem to be.

I'm still not going to be mixing them for a little while yet, although there doesnt seem to be a huge difference in size.
 
I'm bumping this because integration has kind of happened by accident. I was out doing a clean on Friday, and when I opened the door of the younger chicks (SS and hybrid) coop out they came. The Welsummers were already out freeranging, and nothing happened. There were a few minor fluffing of feathers but nothing major. I was out there all day, the pecking order seemed to be established pretty quickly, with the two SS at the top, then the welsummers and the hybrid at the bottom, although any bullying from the welsummers and she runs to her clutchmates (the SS) who "defend" her.

Friday night, they each went back to their original coops, although all investigating both coops through out the day. So separated back into their clutches. And I let them all out again yesterday, as I was in the garden again, and nothing major happened, but again they went back into their original coops at night.

Now ideally, I would like the SS clutch to sleep in the welsummer coop, so that I can move my younger clutch, who are currently in a rabbit hutch with a small run, into the SS coop. But i dont want to rush things.

Now that they are living reasonably comfortably together during the day (a few minor scuffles but more noise and ruffled feathers than actual fighting) are they likely to be okay at night, or are fights more likely to break out in the enclosed space of the coop?

The coop is a big one, advertised for 16 chickens but I would say maybe 8 or 10 comfortably as they are free ranging. (the house is big but the run isnt huge) and there will be 5 of them.
 
I would try putting them in after they've gone to roost in their usual coop. Just gently lift the SS group, still asleep, and park them in the other coop. If they all sleep together they'll wake up smelling the same. As there's plenty if room in the coop, fights inside are not very likely. Try to keep an eye to see how they come out in the morning.
 
Thats good news, it really does make a difference if they have got to know each other before being put in together. If they are fine during the day then they will be fine at night, do as Marigold says for a couple of days and then block their access to the SS coop so they learn to go to their new beds under their own steam.
 
Well, I did as advised and all seemed to go well. In fact they seem to be mixing better this morning than before. Its very windy up here so maybe that has caused distraction enough, I am still keeping a close eye on them, but I'm reasonably confident all has gone well.

Good news is that the babies can now go in a "big girl" coop. so all chickens are now out of the house (yay! so more dust and bedding everywhere) and able to forage and act like chickens.

I did say that was enough chickens (10, but I think at least 2, maybe 3 are boys) however, I am already reading up on using a broody to hatch next time. It will be a little while obviously, but the thought is there lol
 
Thank you, Its been an amazing experience hatching them all and seeing how fast they grow. I've been incredibly lucky with my hatch rates, the last clutch we hatched at school for the other children to experience it, and we had 5 out of 6 hatch and survive, and they were ebay eggs. so we really were very lucky.

Its also a big eye opener the difference in their behaviour towards you when you have them from babies, to getting ex batts (which were my first chickens). However, for the time being at least, I am babied out. I am looking forward to watching them grow into adults.
 
Well they all went into the same coop all by themselves last night. When I went to check on them, all 5 were snuggled up together.

They dont use the perches yet, should I be encouraging that now, or is it too soon (12 weeks and 9 weeks old)?
 
That's great, no problems then. They're still a bit young for perches, don't worry they will get there when they grow a bit. You can put them up on perches by about 18 weeks if they haven't cottoned on by then for themselves.
 
Really nice to hear when things go well. Agree with Marigold about the perches.
 
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