As there is such a thing called "chicken math" you will no doubt want to bring home additional chicks, pullets, laying hens or roosters. It's certainly an exciting time, but that excitement can be quickly diminished if not done properly and you see a poor newbie badly injured by the meanies in the flock or a wave of illness hits your lovelies soon after a new arrival.  Proper integration of new chickens means proper quarantine and slow introduction to ensure the safety and health of the flock.  As you are likely as excited to see the flock mix as I am, this requires an immense amount of PATIENCE.  You can do it.  Stick to your own rules and don't be tempted to shortcut - there's nothing like regret when your favorite hens get really sick. We always vaccinate all our chickens for Newcastle, IB and Mareks to be safe, but I have still seen some get sick when I integrated too soon.

 

We keep smaller groups of chickens (~15 or less) which does put some pressure on introducing new additions. If you have a very large flock - social introductions are much easier, although same rules apply for necessity of biosecurity quarantine.

 

New chicks

First let's talk about new chicks. In my mind, they are the easiest to integrate. Unlike older birds, I don’t worry about biosecurity if I have hatched the chicks or bought them a few days old - it's mostly about slow integration for safety of the little ones. I start early. In fact I usually move any chicks into the main coop at 4-5 weeks old depending on outdoor temperatures - always with a plate warmer to start. They are in the main coop but in a separate pen with multiple small openings so they can go in and out of their small pen into the main area with the adults - but the adults cannot fit through the openings. Some people call this the chick panic room. It's aptly named, as you'll see the little ones dart back into their separate pen as soon as a big girl starts coming her way.  It only takes one peck from an adult for them to learn this survival tactic. The chicks have their own source of feed and water inside their pen which includes an indoor and outdoor section alongside the big guys. Slowly they work it out and all get accustomed to each other - after a couple months I find the littles are starting to eat at the same feeder as the adults. (At that point I usually switch to pullet feed for the whole flock for about a month or mix 50/50 with the layer pellets to ensure the developing chicks don't get too much calcium which can cause kidney problems etc. (If you switch entirely to pullet feed - make sure your oyster shell dispenser is always full so the adult hens get the calcium they need.) 

 

New pullets or adult chickens

That method only works with chicks who are much smaller than the main flock.  If you are bringing in new pullets or adult chickens, it's a bit tougher. The standard recommendation to keep new incoming chickens separate from your flock is 30 days. The trick with proper quarantine is that the newbies should be kept roughly 10 meters or more away from the flock and preferably downhill or downwind to prevent dander or runoff from going into your main flock area.  Many backyard chicken keepers don't have this option - so if this isn't possible, at minimum they must be separated so they are not sharing food and water, best if they are not sharing a fenceline.  Aim to do daily care of your flock first, then the newbies - that way you are not tracking any contaminants on your shoes or transferring on your hands.  Better even if you can reserve some shoes only for the newbie area.

 

The first step to social integration is being able to see each other without touching.  So aside from the biosecurity quarantine you need to get them in visual range of each other for at least a couple weeks. After quarantine and they have gotten used to the sight of each other, then you can start monitored visitation sessions between the two.  This is best done, if possible, in a large area where the newbies can get away from any chasing mean girls in the main flock.  Slowly give them more joint time until you can be assured the flock will not significantly injure the newbies.  There will always be some social order pecking and feather pulling, and the newbies are almost always closer to the bottom end of the hierarchy in the early months but there should be no risk of injury or ganging up of the flock on one newbie.

​

Eventually you will see them integrated as part of the group.  I always find it interesting that many times, the chickens who were raised together or join the flock as newbies together remain best buddies for life.  They easily interact with the others but you will see them together often.  Another reason I always try to bring newbies in a group of 3 or more.  If only two and something happens to one of them, I rarely see the remaining hen bond with another so closely.

​