Moving to coop with existing flock!

[Amcmullen55]

My littles are 6 weeks old! They have been spending their days outside with our older hens and things have been going well. They seam to pretty much just leave eachother alone. I have a dog pen set up in the run with chick feed and their own water. The dog crate is open enough that the littles can get in and out but the older hens cannot.

My question is… since they have been doing so well together can I put the littles inside the coop with the older hens to sleep?

Looking for any advice

 

[The Chick Addict]

Hello and Welcome to BYC !!! If your chicks seem to be doing well and the hens are treating the chicks well it may be a good idea if you leave them with the older hens. Just make sure that the coop is very predator proof. If you are not sure if it may work out, it might be best to keep them where you have them until they are a bit older.

 

[LTAY1946]

Welcome to BYC. Glad to have you here.

 

[Teetees-blueeggers]

My littles are 6 weeks old! They have been spending their days outside with our older hens and things have been going well. They seam to pretty much just leave eachother alone. I have a dog pen set up in the run with chick feed and their own water. The dog crate is open enough that the littles can get in and out but the older hens cannot.

My question is… since they have been doing so well together can I put the littles inside the coop with the older hens to sleep?

Looking for any advice

Here r my march babies in the coop. But i will not let them sleep in the coop unless they are in their owe locked in section of the coop. There is a pecking order and my are to small yet to sleep free in the coop. Mine are 2 months old. Mine will eat fine with the hens but my ladies are way to big yet and my roster will protect the big lady's before the other babies. They can gang up on the babies in the coop .
hope this helped

 

[Amcmullen55]

Thank you!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

You can try moving them into the coop at this point. To do so, I close up the brooder/chick-only area, and move them into a cage inside the coop at sunset - keeps the chicks protected, and homes them to the coop instead of the brooder or chick area. After a few days they'll voluntarily follow the adults in and I remove the cage.

 

[The Chick Addict]

You can try moving them into the coop at this point. To do so, I close up the brooder/chick-only area, and move them into a cage inside the coop at sunset - keeps the chicks protected, and homes them to the coop instead of the brooder or chick area. After a few days they'll voluntarily follow the adults in and I remove the cage.

View attachment 3504534

View attachment 3504535

Awwww, they look so sweet and tiny compared with the older hens!