Ideas for hiding places in run when letting broody hen and chicks loose with flock

[magicstorm]

Hi, I have ot been on in a while as things have been going smoothly. I have a broody hen that hatched 1 chick, then I gave her two adoptees 2 days later. Then 2 weeks later, on a whim I tried to give her 2 more and she acted like they were always hers. This is the question, now they are all about 8 weeks old and she is tired of being confined to the small area inside the coop that I built to keep them separated. We have let her and chicks out when everyone free ranges and it seems ok, if tense. I need ideas for things to put in run for chicks to use to escape any bullies. PLEASE POST ANY IDEAS FOR US. I thought made plywood with cinder blocks holding it so chicks could go through or between?:/

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Definitely something the chicks can duck under will work well.

 

[azygous]

I've discovered that the ideal get-away for chicks to evade bullies is a table. Yes, a simple card table or something similar. High perches are okay, and you need them, too, but a table is an ideal hang-out for chicks who are discovering where they fit into the adult flock.

The reason a table works so much better than high perches is because you can put food up there and the chicks can eat without some bully chasing them away. They can also lounge and nap on the table, making for far less stressed chicks as they are navigating their way around the adult pecking order.

Having high places like the table and high perches works because older chickens find it just too taxing to chase chicks up to high places, while it's totally natural for chicks to like high places. (You would too if you had just discovered you had wings.)

 

[magicstorm]

Thanks.