This is my first post on here but I have been so thankful for the many many hours of reading and advice I have taken from this group. I have yet to find a situation like mine so I figured I better just ask. 
We got our first round of chicks and lost half to some strange illness within the first week. After I was sure the illness was indeed gone, we bought another batch. They were all raised in the garage in desperate brooders but shared a chicken wire wall.
We introduced them last week in the run, the first meeting one baby got her neck ripped open. :/ scared me to death! So I read and read and added a bunch of "stuff" to the run. My hubby calls it a chicken obstacle course. anyways, its gone amazing since then. We had them in the run only. Sunday night I moved the babies into the coop. I wanted them to establish it as their in hopes of making it easier to add the big girls.
Now my question is this... at what point do I add the big girls to the coop too? Right now its closed during the day, all food and water is in the run, then taken to their desperate night time spaces. We do have a pair of big girls who seem to block the littles from food so I am hesitant to move the food inside the coop as of yet since they could easily guard the one door in and out. Its a mixed flock so its easy to pick out the trouble makers. I decided to leave them in the brooder today to see how the dynamic was without them, and its AMAZING how much more brave the babies are today. They are venturing all over the run, and not hiding all day under the board I set up for them as a safe place.
I plan to add a similar hiding area in the coop for a while. Help!
We got our first round of chicks and lost half to some strange illness within the first week. After I was sure the illness was indeed gone, we bought another batch. They were all raised in the garage in desperate brooders but shared a chicken wire wall.
We introduced them last week in the run, the first meeting one baby got her neck ripped open. :/ scared me to death! So I read and read and added a bunch of "stuff" to the run. My hubby calls it a chicken obstacle course.
anyways, its gone amazing since then. We had them in the run only. Sunday night I moved the babies into the coop. I wanted them to establish it as their in hopes of making it easier to add the big girls. Now my question is this... at what point do I add the big girls to the coop too? Right now its closed during the day, all food and water is in the run, then taken to their desperate night time spaces. We do have a pair of big girls who seem to block the littles from food so I am hesitant to move the food inside the coop as of yet since they could easily guard the one door in and out. Its a mixed flock so its easy to pick out the trouble makers. I decided to leave them in the brooder today to see how the dynamic was without them, and its AMAZING how much more brave the babies are today. They are venturing all over the run, and not hiding all day under the board I set up for them as a safe place.
I plan to add a similar hiding area in the coop for a while. Help!
