10 Week Old Chicks Afraid To Leave Pen

[Mike121]

So a while back I bought some pullets and put them in a chick pen that's inside my main coop. A few weeks ago I figured the chicks were old enough to introduce to the rest of the flock so I tied the door to their pen open. I added some pallets around the floor of the coop so they'd have places to hide, if necessary.

Now it's been a few weeks and I haven't seen a single chick on the floor of the coop other than when they get anxious and jump down, but then they're right back up in a matter of seconds. They eat treats out of my hands and when I go into the coop they'll come out of the pen to stand on the landing to wait on me to give them a treat, but I can't even entice them with food to come down on the coop floor. I figured they'd have ventured out into the run by now.

They are coming out of their pen at night and roosting with the big chickens so why won't they mingle with them throughout the day instead of saying cramped up in their pen all day long? I was thinking that maybe this weekend, when I have time to keep an eye on them most of the day, I might help them out of the pen and latch the door closed.

Pictures of my setup can be seen in My Coop.

 

[rosemarythyme]

So 1 issue with the way you have things set up, the chick area is on a platform... how much interaction have the chicks and adults actually had with that set up? Have you seen adults hanging around the brooder to look at the chicks and acclimate to them and vice versa?

Has the run been cluttered up since you last posted? If yes, new photos would help with assessing. In the My Coop photos there are zero hiding places or items to break up line of sight in the run so the younger birds can take cover if needed.

 

[Mike121]

Has the run been cluttered up since you last posted? If yes, new photos would help with assessing. In the My Coop photos there are zero hiding places or items to break up line of sight in the run so the younger birds can take cover if needed.

Yes, the other chickens used to get up on the platform all the time and look at the chicks through the wire. Heck, now that it's been open the big chickens will go inside their pen to eat their food and drink their water. The chicks just run around inside the pen to get away from them but won't come out. If they do come out they'll run up the roost and come back into the pen as soon as it's clear.

Yes, I put some pallets out there leaning on the side walls they can hide behind. There are also a few pallets against the wall inside the coop. I have some chairs I'm going to lay in their side in the run too. The problem is that the chicks never even come down into the floor of the coop so they don't know any of that is there. They haven't even peaked outside yet.

 

[aart]

How old are the chicks?
I'd just give them time.

 

[Mike121]

Last night I moved the big chickens outside into the run and closed the run door. Then I helped all the little chicks into the floor of the coop. Once down there, they loved it! They were scratching all around in the hay, eating up bugs and wheat seeds, etc. I let them hang out down there for a half hour, or so, then I let the big chickens back in. Without hesitation they were right back up in their pen.

What that means, to me, is that they're not afraid of getting out of the pen. They're just afraid of the big chickens and don't realize I have things they can hide behind. They just know their pen is a safe place so they just go there.

I guess I'll just give them more time and keep giving them a little time on their own inside the coop, with the big chickens outside, in the evenings.

Also, I should mention that one of my hens does chase the chicks around and pecks at them when they're not in their pen. The rooster will peck at them too if they get close to him, but he doesn't go after them like that one hen does. The other big hen I have doesn't seem to care about the little gals at all.

 

[Penpal]

Well, you have two chickens who have taught the chicks that big chickens are dangerous. I would set up a box in the run with a hole big enough for the chicks to get in and out, but too small for the big guys. Keep the food and water in the run, not the box.

I would also remove the rooster and pesky hen for the time being, or even lock them in the coop.

 

[Mrs. K]

Or let the big girls out into the yard, and then lock the littles in the run. So they can explore without being chased. A safety zone for food and water is a good idea. Generally speaking, if there is enough room, chicks are fast as lightening and can get away.

 

[Mike121]

So yesterday and today I helped the chicks into the floor of the coop and stayed in there to help keep the big chickens at bay. So far that seems to be working out. Even when I step away, the big chickens seem to be mostly ignoring the chicks. The only exception is if the chicks get near the big chicken's original feeder/waterer.

I did go ahead and move the chick's feeder and waterer into the floor of the coop. They've found it just fine and the big chickens don't bother them when they're eating/drinking from their own sources.

I'll probably keep this up for the next several days and, assuming all goes well, it may well be time to close the door on the chick's pen. I would like to see them venture out into the run but I'm not going to push them. This afternoon they actually got down into the floor of the coop on their own, without me even being in there. Hopefully they're getting used to each other (the big chickens and the chicks that is).

So far, so good!

 

[Mike121]

Happy to report that yesterday the chicks came into the floor of the coop all by themselves and stayed there all day. I checked on them periodically throughout the day and never saw one up on the platform or up on the roost. They remained on the floor scratching around in the hay, although they do spend some time hiding behind the pallets I have in there.

They still haven't ventured outside, into the run, yet but a few of them were standing at the entrance looking out yesterday so maybe today is the day they make it outside. I don't plan on pushing the issue to get them outside, but I did go ahead and close the door on their pen yesterday. They haven't slept in there in several days, to a week, now and their food and water is now in the coop floor so there's really no reason for them to be in there anymore.

Hopefully I'll be reporting back again later this week that they've ventured outside, into the run, but we'll see what happens!