Topic of the Week - Integrating Chicks into an Adult Flock

[olivigus]

This thread is very timely as integration is very much up for us at the moment. Here's our situation.

We've got four 8-week old "brooder babies" (2 buffs and 3 EEs, all pullets) who are living in their own smaller coop with a 6 x 6 run.

We've also got three 6-week old "hatchlings" (Olive-Eggers, one girl and two boys) who have been in their own mini-coop with a smaller run area with mom until this past weekend. Our broody hen basically said "Hasta la vista babies" last Saturday. She led them into the mini-coop at dusk then came back out and ran agitatedly back and forth along the fence clucking until I opened the little gate to see what she'd do. She rushed out, gobbled down a bunch of oyster shell, then joined the last of the hens going into the main coop to roost without even a backward glance. Chicks made a lot of noise that first night, but by the next day they were doing just fine and nobody seemed to care that mom was gone.

Both the smaller coop runs are fenced off portions of the main yard, so everyone has been able to see everyone else for a while now.

I'd been thinking that maybe I'd put Hopper, the youngest 6-week-old pullet, in with the other girls and just leave the boys by themselves until we can re-home them (we can't keep roos in our neighborhood). Well, I tried that this morning and the buffs immediately started pecking her, so I put her back with her brothers. Now I'm thinking maybe I should put all three of the hatchlings in with the slightly older pullets. Then they'll all still have their "groups" to start, and by the time the boys have new homes, Hopper should be integrated with the other girls. My plan has always been to let the pullets stay in the smaller coop and run until they're ready to lay so I wouldn't have to switch out the feed for my layers.

Questions I'd love some advice on:
Would it be best to divide the smaller coop run in half with water and food on each side and let the youngsters share a yard without having access to each other for a while? How long?
If I set it up that way, could they start sharing the smaller coop at night (the integrate them in the dark when they're sleeping idea), or would I be better off keeping the mini-coop for the hatchling group until they can share the yard without incident?
I haven't had rooster chicks before--will they bully the girls or help keep some order?

It's getting a bit old having three separate coops to tend, plus I'd like to give the big girls back at least part of their bigger run soon. I just don't want to needlessly traumatize anyone if it's avoidable.

 

[olivigus]

Follow-up to that last post...
So, last night I went out to be sure everyone was tucked into the various coops and one of the little roosters was missing from the mini-coop.
I found him roosting quite contentedly in the big main coop with all the hens.

I put him back with his siblings, but I think I probably should just leave him alone if he does it again. Here I am getting all kafuffled about how to integrate everyone, and he just took care of it on his own.

 

[azygous]

Olivigus, what are your ultimate goals with these new chicks? Are you planning on merging all of them with the adults or will you continue to keep them as sub flocks?

If your goal is to merge the youngsters with the adults so you have one flock, then your best approach is using a panic room and portals, open up all the pens during the day so the youngsters can mingle with the adults and find their places in the pecking order. At night, they will continue to use their respective coops as long as they have access to them.

See my post on the first page of this thread and read my article linked below this post on outdoor brooding to see what my panic room/portals look like and how I integrate.

 

[Kayana]

LoL sumi I would love to see a pic of the week old chick taking on your older male. LoL

 

[olivigus]

@azygous Thanks! That's a great article and very helpful.

We've had a chance to see what you describe firsthand, since we've had three little ones who were hatched and raised by a broody hen, and four that were brooder raised that we got when they were 2 weeks old. Audrey's chicks were following her outside by day 4, getting lessons in everything from scratching to dust bathing to drinking from the water bottle. She wasn't scared of us, so neither were they, and they rapidly learned to view us big things as an exciting source of treats rather than a threat. It was awesome to have our hen happily doing all the work and raising well-adjusted new flock members.

Our brooder babies on the other hand, were skittish, confused and scared of everything. We'd thought we'd be getting two the same age as Audrey's and had been hoping she would adopt them and raise them with the three she'd hatched. We'd already agreed to take them so didn't feel right not doing so, even when two turned out to be four and so much older and bigger than the hatchlings. Audrey didn't want anything to do with them (adding "attacked by a big chicken" to the poor things' list of early traumas).

They're definitely more confident and doing fine now, but the contrast was so noticeable I'm really hoping another hen goes broody next time we want to add to the flock.

As far as the plan, we would like to have them all as one flock, and just keep the smaller coop around in case we ever need to separate someone or decide to get fertile eggs for another broody hen down the road. So your system will be a great way to do that! I think it will be pretty easy to rig up portals to the smaller run areas, so the little ones can get back into their separate yards if they need to.


My biggest concern is the feed issue. I don't want the little ones eating lay pellets. So 'm thinking I need to switch everyone to a feed that all can eat and just keep plenty of oyster shell available for the laying hens. Will the youngsters leave the oyster shell alone?

 

[azygous]

Glad you think my plan will work for your flock. I feed Purina Flock Raiser all the time for everyone. I never bother with layer feed ever. Any all-flock feed will do. The chicks will sample the oyster shell, but quickly lose interest until after the pullets begin to lay.

Set up as many feeding stations as you can. The adults will always have one or two "hall monitors" who think they need to keep the youngsters away from the feeders. I've even set up an old camp table in my run and the youngest get a dish of food up there. They even nap on the table since they are now to large for the portals so their panic room is no longer functional.

 

[jcooper3]

Hi all,

I have six 16-week olds (5 large breed pullets and a BO capon) living in a 400 sq ft run.

I will be receiving 3 day old Silver Gray Dorking chicks from Meyer Hatchery in about 2 weeks. I'm planning to brood in the run, with a large wire dog corral, using a MHP. I'll cover the top with plywood and the sides with smaller gauge wire. My plan is to allow a couple of weeks for "look, but don't touch" before I allow the peeps in with the bigs.

My plan is in place, but I have one lingering concern: disease. I've vaccinated my birds against Mareks, IBD, Newcastle, and fowl & pigeon pox. I've nursed 2 of my birds through a mild respiratory infection at 8 weeks. I would like people's opinions about the pros and cons of a quarantine versus putting the chicks out as soon as possible. Should I quarantine? If so, what is the minimum time I should brood them inside, if quarantine is the only constraint?

 

[jcooper3]

I would like to clarify that I'm worried about the chicks infecting my bigs.

 

[sjturner79]

Hi all,

I have six 16-week olds (5 large breed pullets and a BO capon) living in a 400 sq ft run.

I will be receiving 3 day old Silver Gray Dorking chicks from Meyer Hatchery in about 2 weeks. I'm planning to brood in the run, with a large wire dog corral, using a MHP. I'll cover the top with plywood and the sides with smaller gauge wire. My plan is to allow a couple of weeks for "look, but don't touch" before I allow the peeps in with the bigs.

My plan is in place, but I have one lingering concern: disease. I've vaccinated my birds against Mareks, IBD, Newcastle, and fowl & pigeon pox. I've nursed 2 of my birds through a mild respiratory infection at 8 weeks. I would like people's opinions about the pros and cons of a quarantine versus putting the chicks out as soon as possible. Should I quarantine? If so, what is the minimum time I should brood them inside, if quarantine is the only constraint?

Quarantine should be 4 weeks.

 

[AustralorpsAU]

I just integrated mine a week ago. I put them in a coop along side the run for 2 weeks when i got them at 8 weeks old. When they were 10 weeks old i let the chicks out to free range with hens and gathered them all together back in coop and very little pecking... The chicks keep to themselves mostly and the hens keep to themselves but the are all good. My question is, the little ones stay in the coop now when the older ones free range... is this normal?