Adding chicks to small flock

[ZenSyd]

I’ve been raising 4 chicks since Mid March indoors with daytime run time in a tiny outside pen. My 6 adult layers have checked them out and are aware of their presence. The big girls free range during the day.
The 4 new chicks have been caged in an extra large dog crate which we carry out and attach to the mini run during the day.
The big girls have a very small coop but we just built an addition doubling it’s size and opened it to them today. We would like to add the 4 youngsters tomorrow.
The coop has a small run attached and that is surrounded by a fence to keep other critters away at night. During the day it is open to allow the girls to free range.
Should we bring the dog crate out to the coop area? Should we put the young in’s in at night? What to do?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hey there photos of the coops would help but yes most often as peeps go to a coop they need to be put in often taken out to start they learn by example

 

[ZenSyd]

Hey there photos of the coops would help but yes most often as peeps go to a coop they need to be put in often taken out to start they learn by example

This is the original coop. It was good for the 6 girls through the Wisconsin winter. We doubled the size of their house space and also added additional nest boxes in the back. I did not yet take photos because we haven’t painted the outside yet.

 

[ZenSyd]

Hey there photos of the coops would help but yes most often as peeps go to a coop they need to be put in often taken out to start they learn by example

 

[pennyJo1960]

If it is the same size they should be fine I would wait to have them in the new coop till they are almost as big as others

 

[EmilyRobb]

@ZenSyd whenever I try to introduce chicks to an already existing flock, I either do it at night or I give the chick somewhere to go that the hens can't. Chickens can be kind of dumb, and if you introduce your new chicks at night when everyone else it sleeping, the hens will wake up in the morning like nothing is different and everyone should go about their days. If not a night introduction, I'll place a board above the ground, maybe held 4 inches or so above the Earth (height would depend on chick size). If the chicks get tired of the hens, or if the hens are being overly aggressive, the chicks can go and hide without the hens bugging them.

 

[ZenSyd]

@ZenSyd whenever I try to introduce chicks to an already existing flock, I either do it at night or I give the chick somewhere to go that the hens can't. Chickens can be kind of dumb, and if you introduce your new chicks at night when everyone else it sleeping, the hens will wake up in the morning like nothing is different and everyone should go about their days. If not a night introduction, I'll place a board above the ground, maybe held 4 inches or so above the Earth (height would depend on chick size). If the chicks get tired of the hens, or if the hens are being overly aggressive, the chicks can go and hide without the hens bugging them.

We were afraid to put them out there at night because we could not watch what is going on.

 

[aart]

The 4 new chicks have been caged in an extra large dog crate which we carry out and attach to the mini run during the day.

So the chicks have been able to explore the coop and mini run?

 

[ZenSyd]

So the chicks have been able to explore the coop and mini run?

Not yet the coop because we kept the cage and their run apart from the coop. Should we bring them out there today? Maybe leave their crate under the new addition part of the coop where they are protected from the rain?

 

[ZenSyd]

Not yet the coop because we kept the cage and their run apart from the coop. Should we bring them out there today? Maybe leave their crate under the new addition part of the coop where they are protected from the rain?

The mini run yes every day for 2 weeks but it’s only like 16 sq ft connected to the front of the crate.