6 weeks old first time out today and now they are too quiet :/

[AmberRose23]

I ended up with 4 6 week old Roos from a friend somehow (it was an emergency situation) and today was their first excursion outside. It was 65 outside and very beautiful. They were out in the pen today for about 4 hours. There are 3 polish Roos and a silkie. It seemed like they really enjoyed themselves. They were in a little pen and my rooster and hen visited again. We introduced them at first but my hen seemed intent on pecking them so we put them in a pen. She also tried to pull a few feathers out. She is kind of aggressive, she chases the cats! So after brining in the baby Roos they are so quiet. Like so quiet compared to how they were before. Is this normal? Is this just because they are tired from their big day?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Probably just exhausted from all the excitement of the day.

 

[CindyK75]

You have to introduce older chickens to baby chicks slowly. Keep them in a pen and let the older ones go around them everyday. They have to eventually sort out the pecking order again so be prepared for harassment and pecking. I would wait till the new chicks are "almost" the same size as the bigger ones. I would take them out in shorter periods though, increasing time each day, give them water, food and some shelter out in the pen also. We made a "chicken tractor" no wheels just metal pipe rectangle with chicken wire and a chicken wire door with a piece of metal pipe on the bottom that I use velcro to keep them from getting out (I use a large cat/dog carrier to transport them to and from the pen). I pick up the structure and move it around so they have more area to eat from or scratch. They enjoy sunbathing also, so don't put in pure shade.