Getting ready for integration. Need your opinion.

[KyCoop]

My 7 chicks are growing fast and I'm starting my plan for their integration into my now small flock of 5 ladies.
I got the babies the same day but I believe they range in age from 3-6 wks old. The bigger babies are starting to get bored with the whole brooder thing.
The question is this. We added on to the coop last year when we had 9 ladies. So now we have an old part and a new part. It's now 6 x 12 ft. The OG ladies quickly made the new part their favored roosting spot. The old part has the nesting boxes and the pop door. As far as moving the babies out there my husband wants to put up a temp wall and put the babies in the new part and have the ladies roost back in the old part for a couple of weeks. I don't want to mess up their nightly routine. Roost wars are real yall. I also don't want the ladies to hate the babies right off the bat because they are in their space.
Putting the babies in the old part will involve moving the pop door and ramp more toward the middle so I can wall the old part off. My husband is not real interested in that little project.
What would you guys do?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Can you post photos of the inside of the coop, with a description of what would go where?

 

[KyCoop]

I can take them tomorrow.

 

[KyCoop]

OK here are the pics. As I said we added on last summer. The brown painted wood is where the old coop stops. This part has the pop door and nest boxes.

This is shows the full length of the old and new coop. Currently have 16 ft of roost space for 5 ladies. See why I need to fill the coop back up?

You can see Ruth on the very end of the roost in the new part and this is where the OG ladies like to sleep. But that is the perfect area to wall off for the new babies to finish brooding.
To put them in the old part would involve moving the pop door so the big ladies can get in and out. Does that make sense?

 

[rosemarythyme]

OK here are the pics. As I said we added on last summer. The brown painted wood is where the old coop stops. This part has the pop door and nest boxes.

First off, that's a great coop extension, I wouldn't have known where the old and new were until you explained it.

I would go the easy route, attach netting (taut) or chicken wire across the division between old and new sections since that can be done with a few nails or screws and maybe some twist ties or zip ties. Boot the older ladies to the old area - they'll get over it, really. Figure 1-2 weeks of see but don't touch with the chicks, then you can probably cut panic openings in the wire/netting (you can use cardboard to frame the openings for safety) and that will provide the chicks with a safe area they can retreat to while inside the coop.

 

[KyCoop]

Thank you. The addition also has 3 screen (HWC) doors I can open in summer that will make it a modified open air coop.

I think we will go the easy route and hope the hens forgive me and don't take it out on the chicks. The hens slept in the old coop for 4 yrs so what's a couple three weeks.
I did plan on making a panic opening in case the monsters go after them. This will be the second time the OG hens have had chicks integrate with them but the first time we are doing it in the coop. We split off the run last time which worked well enough but it took a long time before the Littles were brave enough and big enough to withstand the roosting wars.
Also this time we have a vacation planned and I have to make sure the babies have learned to get back into at least the run before the door closes. No pressure.