Transitioning chicks

[Devorah]

I am going to be moving my almost 6-week old chicks from the brooder in our house to the coop. I read that one should keep the chicks in the coop for a few days or longer to get them used to their new base and only after a week or so to move them into the run.
This seems very odd to me especially as we approach summer and summer temps.
Is this common?
If it is, how do you do this with the deep bedding method? I thought no food or water belongs in the coop …

 

[NatJ]

I am going to be moving my almost 6-week old chicks from the brooder in our house to the coop. I read that one should keep the chicks in the coop for a few days or longer to get them used to their new base and only after a week or so to move them into the run.
This seems very odd to me especially as we approach summer and summer temps.
Is this common?

Yes, this is common.

It is also common to give the chicks access to the coop and run from the very first day. I see quite a few threads asking "how do I get my chicks to go inside the coop at night?" (Those threads show that some people have trouble, but they do not tell how many people do NOT have trouble.)

As with anything else, some chicken keepers do things differently than other chicken keepers.

If it is, how do you do this with the deep bedding method? I thought no food or water belongs in the coop …

Some people keep food and water in the coop all the time, and some people keep it in the run all the time. Which is "better" depends on who you ask, and the specific circumstances each one is dealing with.

When chicks are shut in the coop, of course they need food and water in there. You can choose whether to move it out to the run after you start letting them out into the run.

If you are worried about the bedding getting in the food and water, either hang the food & water from the ceiling, or put it up on something. Chickens do fine eating and drinking from something the level of their back, and it helps keep the bedding out. If you want to put it up on "something," consider bricks, cinder blocks, paving stones, boards, milk crates, and similar objects that you may have lying around.

You can also start off with shallow bedding, and add more over time so it eventually builds up to be deep. This is fairly common, rather than putting in large amounts all at once.

 

[mccmeadows]

I am going to be moving my almost 6-week old chicks from the brooder in our house to the coop. I read that one should keep the chicks in the coop for a few days or longer to get them used to their new base and only after a week or so to move them into the run.
This seems very odd to me especially as we approach summer and summer temps.
Is this common?
If it is, how do you do this with the deep bedding method? I thought no food or water belongs in the coop …

my understanding is that you leave them in the new coop so they can adjust and they know that that’s where they’re supposed to sleep. then when you let them in the run, they put themselves to bed. I have yet to have this work 100% - there is always a couple stragglers who don’t figure it out for a few days. if your run is easy to access, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. we usually just do a day. good luck with your flock

 

[Devorah]

Yes, this is common.

It is also common to give the chicks access to the coop and run from the very first day. I see quite a few threads asking "how do I get my chicks to go inside the coop at night?" (Those threads show that some people have trouble, but they do not tell how many people do NOT have trouble.)

As with anything else, some chicken keepers do things differently than other chicken keepers.


Some people keep food and water in the coop all the time, and some people keep it in the run all the time. Which is "better" depends on who you ask, and the specific circumstances each one is dealing with.

When chicks are shut in the coop, of course they need food and water in there. You can choose whether to move it out to the run after you start letting them out into the run.

If you are worried about the bedding getting in the food and water, either hang the food & water from the ceiling, or put it up on something. Chickens do fine eating and drinking from something the level of their back, and it helps keep the bedding out. If you want to put it up on "something," consider bricks, cinder blocks, paving stones, boards, milk crates, and similar objects that you may have lying around.

You can also start off with shallow bedding, and add more over time so it eventually builds up to be deep. This is fairly common, rather than putting in large amounts all at once.

Thanks very much. That is helpful. It’s always challenging before you’ve gotten your bearings as a novice because there is no right or wrong (or at least in most cases)— just different! I guess I’ll have to figure things out as I go along and what works for these chicks. Really appreciate you highlighting the various approaches.

 

[Devorah]

my understanding is that you leave them in the new coop so they can adjust and they know that that’s where they’re supposed to sleep. then when you let them in the run, they put themselves to bed. I have yet to have this work 100% - there is always a couple stragglers who don’t figure it out for a few days. if your run is easy to access, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. we usually just do a day. good luck with your flock

Thanks very much! So you usually leave them in the coop for a full 24 hours and then let them into the run? I know I’ll have to see what works for my chicks. I think it was the food and water in the coop that was confusing me because I plan on doing deep bedding —which I thought requires no food or water in the coop.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I always let my chicks have access to the run and coop...and I usually have to put them to bed the first few nights. Like a lot of things with chickens you have to do what works for you and your situation. If its hot i wouldn't keep them locked in the coop personally

 

[Devorah]

I always let my chicks have access to the run and coop...and I usually have to put them to bed the first few nights. Like a lot of things with chickens you have to do what works for you and your situation. If its hot i wouldn't keep them locked in the coop personally

Thanks so much. Good advice.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I think it was the food and water in the coop that was confusing me because I plan on doing deep bedding —which I thought requires no food or water in the coop.

There's no specific requirement for no food/water with deep bedding. I don't do water inside to keep the coop dry as possible, that's all.

 

[ck_in_mn]

Newbie here, this was my experience.

Eight girls hatched on 4/20, raised in a 2x3 tote in the basement with a heat lamp. Minnesota had a cool May with temps getting into the 40s at night, so we kept them inside until June 1st when it warmed up. We had a few warm days where we'd take the outside to get a taste of the outdoors.

I read a lot of different opinions on moving to the coop, and just decided to go for it and get them used to their new routine. Call it tough love. Coop overnight, access to the coop and run during the day, and food and water only in the run. There is an adjustment period that we're still going through that involves a night light (see my post about afraid of the dark) but they're figuring things out quickly. Plus I figure I'm not creating any new habits I'll just need to break.

 

[trudyg]

Well, I had a brooder failure (something got in and killed 3), so I put the rest of the 4 week olds in the coop with the hens, so they had access to the coop and entire pen right away. They did fine. They didn't get chased or pecked any more than usual. Actually, it seemed as though the littles stayed in a group and the bigs did their thing. One of my hens had a week old chick when I did this and she didn't even intervene when they got close like she did with the other big ones, and these chicks were much bigger than this littlest one. Let nature take its course, within reason. Provide items to block the view (hiding places) and they'll be fine. And, let me add, these younger ones are now roosting up on the pole with the big ones. The only ones on the floor are the hen and youngest chick.