Moving new pullets into established coop?

[julskinka]

Have an established flock of 4 hens who free range all day and share a coop/run at night and in bad weather. We also have fourteen 13-week old babies, 4 or 5 of which are pullets we plan to keep as layers. Everyone else is going to a new home or freezer camp. Right now, they’re all free ranging and interact fine out in the yard. The babies sleep in a brooder in our mudroom, but I’m reaaaally ready for them to move on to the coop, as soon as it’s safe.

How do I know when to do that? Are there baby steps to take? Should I experiment with the disposable cockerels first? Wait until they’re gone and it’s whittled down to the permanent flock? Put them in there myself? Close the mudroom window and hope they follow the hens home one night?

I did put the biggest cockerel on the roost bar with them one night a couple of weeks ago, and he was alive the next morning, sleeping in the next box with a drop of blood on his comb, but otherwise fine.

Advice appreciated!

 

[Ridgerunner]

How big in feet is your coop and run? What do your roosts look like, how long, how high, ans how are they arranged? Photos might help.

What I suggest will depend a lot on your facilities. Right now I don't know what your best options are.

 

[RingoldChick]

You will probably have to put them in the coop a few nights.. Mine have been confused as to what to do. I don't think they'll follow the older hens...if they don't already.

I think as long as they have a different roost bar from the hens, it might work.

How much smaller are they? I would probably wait to add they ones you are going to keep, till the others are gone. Less stress at changing hierarchy.

 

[rosemarythyme]

13 weeks!? I'd be beyond ready to kick them out.

I know some people like to wait until babies are nearly as large as the adults before integrating, but the problem I have with that is then it makes it very hard to make a safe area in a run or in a coop, where only chicks can fit, which keeps them safe.

2nd to all of Ridgerunner's questions. Everyone's coop is different and everyone's flocks are different. Without knowing what your setup is like and how much room you have to work with it's hard to figure out a good way to approach it.

 

[aart]

Good advice and questions from RR and RMT.

Hard to say if you should get rid of the cockerels first or not.
They can 'spread the love' and create more diversion,
but if there's not room for them in the coop then I'd get rid of them first.

What's your plan for those 9 or 10 cockerels?
13 weeks old is prime for grilling.

 

[julskinka]

Thanks for your responses! Sorry it took me so long to gather photos. In the meantime, they’re all now 14.5 weeks old, and the roosters have been roughing it while the pullets sleep in the run. The largest cockerels are the same size as or larger than the hens, and one of the pullets is larger than the smallest hen, but the rest of the pullets are still a bit smaller than the hens. The hens are still pretty territorial of the run during the day.

Our set up is a 4.25x6 ft (25.5 sq ft) insulated, well-ventilated coop (with 3 nest boxes outside of that footprint), one 4.25 ft long roost (currently above a poop board and about 2 feet off the floor of the coop) and another, lower, 2-ft roost. The 4 hens currently take up about 2-3 feet of the top roost when they sleep. We plan on adding another roost bar, 2-4 feet.

There is additionally a 1 x 4.25 ft closet that we can extend the coop into if we need to, to bring total sq footage just shy of 30 sq ft.

There’s an enclosed, covered run that is 7ft x 14ft (98 sq ft)

Besides this, the chickens free range on 1.3 enclosed acres from about 7-8am until they coop up at dusk, unless they’re being wimps about snow.

Pictures below:

Re: the cockerels (there are officially *9* to our 4 pullets, gah) - my plan is to butcher most of them next week while my daughter is out of town, unless someone pops up who really wants any of them. We’ve got two beautiful FBCMs tho and I’ll probably keep one of them.

So total chickens will be 8 or 9 living in this setup, if we can do it and still make them happy.

Thanks so much for your input!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ventilation looks good but coop space is tight for 4 hens + 14 youngsters. Once you cut it down to the 8 or 9 you're planning on keeping, it'll be a much better fit.

Problem with integration as you're noticing is it takes extra space. When all the birds are restricted to the run or coop, there's not room for the younger ones to get far enough away from the hens for the hens liking, and not enough obstacles to break line of sight so that the hens lose interest. An extra feeder would also help, if the hens are chasing the young birds off the feeder. I imagine when they're free ranging there's less issue with the hens picking on the young ones?

If you're planning on butchering or rehoming the extra birds, might as well do it sooner rather than later.

 

[Mrs. K]

One can really increase the length of the roost if you go diagonally across the coop. Sometimes it is helpful to have all the birds at one level.

 

[aart]

One can really increase the length of the roost if you go diagonally across the coop. Sometimes it is helpful to have all the birds at one level.

Except keep the ends 12" away from corners of coop, or ends of roost become unusable.
Parallel roosts would work better here....still need to seriously reduce flock population.

 

[julskinka]

Thanks everyone. I’ve never intended to have more than 10 birds in that coop, so I guess the question is whether I should “test run” how the hens take to some new coopmates with the roosters, in case it goes badly, or just start with the pullets? Or if I get rid of their boys, will the pullets try to join the hens’ flock out in the yard?

Parallel roosts would work better here....

For the parallel bars, how far apart should they be spaced? 1 foot?

I imagine when they're free ranging there's less issue with the hens picking on the young ones?

You’re right - while out to forage they act like two flocks that often cross paths with no issue. The littles give deference to the bigs at the feeders and waterers. Occasionally there’s a chase but it’s always brief. The only time the bigs seem to really go after them is if they happen to be in the run at the same time.
Thanks for all your responses!