What do you predict will happen?

[BarnyardChaos]

Hey y'all! (I just love that term; I spent some years in Texas and Oklahoma, so I'm allowed to use it ) In a couple of weeks, I'll need to combine a couple of groups of youngsters into Camp Cockerel, or Freezer Camp, whatever you wish to call it. One group of 26 will be about 11 weeks old, and the second group of 29 will be about 7 weeks old. I can reduce those numbers some by moving the pullets to the integration area in the Big Coop, but I haven't got that section built to my liking, yet. The older chicks have already been in Freezer Camp for a week, and I'll need to add the younger group to them soon.

Anyway, what if I just put the younger group in with them, without a period of integration? Will it be a bloodbath, or just a brief period of fussing?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

All right. It's DONE and the 7-week-old chicks are now getting used to their own integration space within Camp Cockerel. The remaining fifteen 11-wk cockerels in the larger Camp started to crow this morning.

I opted to make a more secure space instead of a movable screen wall, due to the openness of the run and regular invasions of raccoons and opossums. And I built a 'Fort Knox' cabinet/hutch for their roosting space at night during the integration period. This cabinet is portable, doesn't waste any play space below or above it, and could be used later for brooding chicks or keeping quail, dove, or other small animals, like rabbits.

So here's the hutch, built entirely from scrap lumber and leftover hardware. I didn't spend one cent on making this. I didn't design it to be pretty, just functional and very secure. Since this photo, I've added shingles to the roof, and plan to add more vinyl 'shades' to the front screens, like those I put on the ends:

These shades will need tie-downs. I still plan to add grommets to the corners, and secure them with little bungies when I need to close them for weather:

The floor inside is a scrap of siding rather than wire mesh, for warmth in cold weather. Still easy enough to keep clean if I add litter, which I've done. Since the photo, I've added a short curb across the opening to contain litter. I made the opening wide enough for me to get my upper body all the way in there and reach both ends:

Parallel roosting bars inside are removable (with screws) for a smaller bunch of chicks, or for use with other animals. I can reconfigure the use if needed without taking the roof or back off:

And now, the integration enclosure, built between the Camp's coop and perimeter fence. The perimeter is existing chain-link fence, and interior separating panels from part of an old pallet and a section of old deck railing. I covered it with chicken wire only, since that's what I had left, and I only intended it to keep chickens separated from each other. The cabinet itself is supposed to be the real security. But since a raccoon raided the feeder a couple of nights ago, I added chain-link across that space, too. Still not secure around the edges of the tarp, but it'll keep the birds inside at least:

I replaced the vinyl tarp I had before (didn't fit right) with a new heavy-duty 8x10 tarp with grommets. The only money I've spent on this whole project:

The door is an insert from an old storm door, covered partly with a scrap of expanded metal (lower 2/3), and chicken wire fastened with metal strips on the inside. Old cabinet hinges. Outer latch is a U-shaped pipe holder, through which I push a large nail into a hole I drilled into the support post. Inner latch is a tiny scrap of wood made into a turnbuckle:

The gap between door jamb and the bigger shed will be left as is. It's not big enough for my main predators to get through. And here are some of the chicks exploring their new space yesterday:

And finally, the meet-up! Getting to know each other for several days before I open the door. I wanted to make a gap at the bottom of the divider fence or door, big enough for the littles to get through but too small for the bigger chicks. But they're really too close in size already, and I was running out of material, time and ideas. I needed to get it DONE. So I opted for just a period of look-don't-touch, then I'll open the door and watch. I've got plenty of obstacles and jungle gyms in the run, so that will help:

So far, so good. I'll post another update when the integration is complete, to let you know how it goes. Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions to help, whether I used your ideas or not. Thank you: @aart @Ridgerunner @Brooks_ @Maddcatter @Ms Biddy .

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Oh, and I have two roosting bars in the cabinet only because I had to put a group of 29 cockerels and pullets in there for a night or two. I've got the 11-week-old pullets integrating now within a bigger coop elsewhere - to be evicted by tomorrow morning to live with the big girls and boys. I'll pull the 7-week-old pullets out of this cabinet and put them in that bigger coop integration space. That will leave about 17-18 cockerels in that cabinet and integration space for several days longer - only to about 8-9 weeks of age, max.

It's all part of my rotation plan, to fill the freezers and egg cartons, and to share products and live birds with friends, family, and our community. I need some for our freezer, and to replace old layers. I've got incubators with total capacity of 39, and don't like to butcher more than 20 birds (with help) at any one time. I think I have capacity to raise 150-180 chicks this year without brooding in the heat of summer, nor butchering in the snow.

So..... I hatch and rotate through each of the spaces as they grow:
Heated indoor Brooder: Hatchlings to 2-wks old
Nursery Coop: 2-5 wks old with supplemental heat.
Schoolhouse Coop: 5-7/8 wks old.
Camp Cockerel and integration space - cockerels 7/8-wks old to butcher at 16-wks old.
Big Coop and integration space - pullets 7/8-wks old to general population.

I must keep them moving through.... because there's another batch of eggs in the incubator due to hatch next week!

My urgency when I posted this thread was only because of my failure to plan ahead. I thought I had a good plan and all the coops/runs I needed, until I realized I needed to integrate groups of cockerels back-to-back into the same coop and run, and had no means of doing it without creating a bloodbath.

Last year and the year before, I took chicks from the Schoolhouse Coop directly to integration in the Big Coop. Then when the cockerels were of age, I simply picked them out of general population. It didn't work so well for the established flock, though. There was constant upheaval to their pecking order, competition for roosting space and at feeders, and far too many boys running around creating general havoc. My flock was stressed.

So this year, I decided to separate the cockerels into their own space, and integrate only the pullets into general population. We will see how it goes.

 

[Dinoroar]

I have added cockerels at about those ages.
Not so many at one time though.
None of them seemed to care at all, and there certainly wasn't a blood bath, but then none of my chickens ever do seem to care about being integrated

Same for me. I guess depends a lot on the temperament of your birds.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I think it helps a lot to have a well-established flock with mixed ages, as I did have a few more problems when I was just starting out.

Just for full disclosure, I do have a large established flock in a different coop and run, of mixed ages and breeds. Three roosters and 37 hens. I add new pullets every year and cull the oldest and non-productive ones. I have a separate integration system for the new pullets into that flock, and have little trouble with them. I am making some modifications to it, so I'd rather wait a bit before adding new pullets just yet. (This is just the first time I've raised four batches of chicks back-to-back, mostly for the freezer. I'm just trying figure out now how to manage keeping them together, in stages, prior to butcher. As one age group is culled, another age group will be added into the camp, and so on.)

 

[BarnyardChaos]

bloodbath!

LOL hopefully not anymore. See my latest update post above.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

What are the dimensions on this?
Roosts look too close together and to front and back.

Oh, I assure you the roosts are FAR TOO CLOSE together for grown chickens, and the whole cabinet is too small for more than 2 or 3. But I think it'll "do" for chicks up to about 8 weeks of age, and only for a few days, until I can integrate them and get them to use the bigger shed.

The cabinet is 7-feet wide X 24-inches deep (14 sq ft), and 21-inches tall, raised about 14-inches off the ground. The center of those roosts are 8-inches away from front and back walls, 8-inches apart, and 5-inches off the floor. Leaves 16-inches of head space.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How big is this area, in feet, in the coop? In the run? Photos showing the layout would be helpful. It helps me make predictions on what might happen if I know what you're working with. I can still be wrong, probably will be, but I'll feel better about it.

To me the main thing is room. If they are shoehorned in a tight space you are likely to have problems. If they can spread out and get away from each other you have a pretty good chance. By room I don't mean some square feet per bird number, can they actually run away from each other and avoid each other or are they forced to intermingle.

At those ages you won't have to worry about the weather. I'd put a few widely scattered feed and water stations. Try it when you can observe and see what happens.

 

[Dinoroar]

I think it helps a lot to have a well-established flock with mixed ages, as I did have a few more problems when I was just starting out.

I think that is a big part of it, good point.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

As a side note, my favorite obstacle is a moveable screen made from an old wood screen door on its side with shelf brackets attached as feet.

Oh oh oh! Thank you for the suggestion. I have a section of deck railing I was planning to use and cover with hardware cloth, but was trying to work out how best to stand it up in that space. You've given me a great idea - I don't have extra shelf brackets, but I do have a whole big pile of scrap lumber that'll do just fine.