Integrating chicks to existing "flock"

[shamrockmommy]

I have 3 older pullets outside in a coop/pasture. It's a huge coop on wheels and could easily hold 40 hens. the pasture at the moment is 42' by 84.'

I have 14 3 1/2 weekers and am needing to come up with a plan on how to integrate the babies in with the older girls.
For the older girls, I closed them in the coop for 4 days and then opened the pop door. They come and go with no issues.
My thoughts at the moment are to take a large wire dog crate, put the babies in it IN the coop and feed/water them in there for 3-4 days so they know that it's home and so they are safe from the other hens. (Who happen to be debeaked.)

What do you think? If we ever get some nice warm days I'd also like to take them outside in a puppy pen to play in the grass. My workshop is covered in the dust and they're getting stinky!

Thanks!

 

[bHen]

Sounds like a good plan as long as they will be warm enough!

 

[shamrockmommy]

It definitely hasn't been warm enough yet since they don't have all their feathers. What age do you think? 6? 8 weeks? (to integrate). Will they really be all that big? These babies are still pretty little and have fuzzy chick heads.

 

[jonaspolaris]

From what I've experienced in the past I would wait until they are a bit older and use your dog crate idea. That's what i have done, leave them in the dog crate for about a week to let them get to know each other.

 

[kmpaulick]

I've got 10 wk old chicks in a metal dog cage IN the run during the day so the old hens can see them. By night I bring them back into a dog crate in the garage to sleep. I've tried free ranging them but the "alpha" hen immediately attacked two of the chicks. It's too cold where I live to leave them in the run all night. I'm not sure what the next step will be but it seems like it's going to take a while before I can get them all sleeping in the coop together at night. Good luck!!

 

[Jimtherunner]

I just had great success! My 17 chicks are six weeks old. For the past week, they have been in a wired enclosure under the frosts in the coop. What a mess. My flock is 10 months old and consists of 9 hens and 2 Roos. My coop is 8 x 14 with an attached run of 14 x 24. I let the big birds out each morning then cracked open the wired brooder under the roosts so the chicks could get out. A couple hens went after the chicks at the feeders, but pretty much left them alone as long as the chicks steer clear. The chicks learned fast. My big birds free range, and the chicks have a ball running around the coop at that time. After a couple days the chicks run around outside in the run as well. ,just a bale of straw blocked the run doorway so the hens can get backmintomthe run and coop to lay. I also have two Broodys in the coop with the chicks. The Broodys don't bother the chicks. At dusk the chicks go intomtheir penned area, snuggle up, and sleep. Afterva couple days, i did not lock them inthere anymore. Today is the fourth day the chicks have been outside their pen. I removed the bale of straw so they can free range. At dusk, there were six of them standing together looking scared about twenty feet from the run. I sure do hope they figure that out soon! All my birds are welsummer.