Putting the girls into their new hen house-HELP!

[imtoorich]

I have 4 month old chicks who are outside in their coop. We also have 3, 2 month old Silkies, one is really small. The 'babies' are in a seperate cage, within the run, so the big girls and boys get used to them. My question is will the younger chicks ever be able to be with the rest of our chickens? How big should they be? One of our roosters is big and is always showing the other rooster (small polish) and hens who's boss, he bites them!

 

[Pinkaboo]

I'd say the sooner the better
When I introduced mine, I did similar to you inside together but separated
When I let them in together I stayed with them, stopped any pecking and very quickly
They were fine, I did think do making an escape route only big enough for the little ones but it literally took only three days before they were happily sleeping in the same coop

 

[dkabe]

If you have a smaller, temporary run you can place right in front of the door for a few days it works well. They'll go in on their own at night and as they grow and fill the space you can remove it. Your dog kennel would work. I made one for some ducklings, which grow like vines! and they are skittish so it worked well for them to have a small run and they could get right inside at dark or if frightened. Now I use it for a young bantam rooster who's terrified of the big hens. It's his safe place where he can go in or out but they can't get in. I should be able to remove it soon. I just leave an opening on one side only big enough for the small bird. They are really pretty smart and figure things out quickly!

 

[EastTXChickens]

What a beautiful coop! I tracked down my husband just now to show him.

I have 8 chickens 17 weeks old and 6 chickens a few weeks younger, those younger chickens were acquired later so had to be integrated. We did this by placing them in the new coop at dusk. They all woke up together and are fine, they had minimal squabbling over the first few days. They free range on acreage and tend to split into 2 flocks. Sometimes a couple of the chickens at the bottom of the pecking order try to roost in a tree next to the coop but I shake them down and they run for the coop.

The coop the first flock was initially raised in was removed at the same time the younger chickens arrived, so all the chickens had only the new coop to explore. I scattered some meal worms up the plank and then into the elevated coop. They got real motivated to check out the coop. Mealworms, dried or fresh, lights up chickens like nothing else.

 

[CalebKrohn23]

Great setup!!!

 

[evemfoster]

I was finishing up constructing my coop when the chicks still needed brooding. I was forced to brood the chicks in the house, but I did take the chicks out for day trips into the run on warm days. When the coop was done the temperatures had warmed up and nights were above freezing so i put their heat lamp inside the coop and put the chicks into the coop for the night. They were about 5 weeks then. The next morning I opened the hens door and let them take themselves out into the run. When i went out to put them into the coop that evening they had already put themselves to bed.

 

[KellyLyn]

Beautiful Coop

 

[Yoyo with chick]

If you have a run I'd let them out in the run for about four days then they can free range as much as they like! And beautiful coop!

 

[Nofowlplay]

Thanks, Everyone. We DO have an attached run, which should be finished today. The hen house is in the shade, with several windows, doors and good ventilation. I like the idea of letting them visit for a few hours each day before permanently putting them in. I also though 2 weeks was a bit extreme. I crate and carry them into their brooder each evening now, so I can certainly let them into their run and put them inside until they get the drill themselves. Although it is a lovely space, I hate the idea of them not being out at all. If they don't adapt properly, I can then keep them in for a few days. And yes, I HAVE seen the interior of a hen house with hens living in it. I know it will not look like this for long. Thank you so much for the responses. This blog is a great resource.

Beautiful!

 

[LDeBona]

Love your coop! Can you show us pics of the outside?

Thanks,
Leslie in TX