Adding to the flock.

rebeccaH86

Songster
6 Years
May 22, 2015
381
1,206
231
Southern California
I have two 28 week and four 23 week old pullets I got two chicks (EE & BJG) last month supposedly the EE was 4 weeks at the time and the BGJ looked to be only a few days old ,They are now fully feathered and I would like to get them outside with the big girls I have been taking them out to the pen next to the big girls run during the day so they can see /interact without the babies getting hurt .

How long should I continue to do this before I can add them fully to the flock ?
I just would hate for them to get hurt , I know there will be some ruffled feathers until pecking order is Established.
 
They are still too young to compete nakedly in the pecking order. However, they have had enough time to observe and learn the behavior of the older chickens, so they can safely mingle with them as long as they have a safe pen (I have dubbed this a "panic room") to scoot back into when the going gets rough.

Anything that will accommodate small openings (more than just one)
P1010004.JPG
only the chicks can fit though will do the trick. I make the openings around 4 1/2 x 7 inches. You can also use a wire dog crate without the bottom and raise it up on bricks so there's room for the chicks to scoot under it.

Put food and water inside and the chicks have a perfect haven to eat and rest in peace when they are tired of taunting the big chickens.
 
I have had good luck with lifting the fence line off the ground a few inches. Chicks can scoot underneath, bigger hens cannot. I call it a safety zone. I start my chicks in there for a few days, feed and water there, and has a wind protection which is a small dog crate. Then I just lift the fence a few inches. At night, I just life the small dog crate, and put it in the coop. Repeat. Eventually I leave the dog crate in the coop with the door open (3 days later) and chicks come out on their own, and go in on their own.

A bit to set it up, but for me, the easiest and safest way to get them outside and in the flock, and that is the best place for chicks to be.

This is second only to having a good broody hen. The chicks explore and enter and leave on their terms. It allows them to go out amongst the big girls, and retreat as needed. I have also laid a pallet out near the middle of the run, up on bricks, so chicks can escape to that.

Do make sure chicks can't get trapped out of the safety zone.

Mrs K
 
I needed to go smaller, had slimline hens get thru.
Make opening adjustable, so you can ...adjust.

Yeah I had my head hen stuff herself through a "panic opening" that was maybe 4" wide at most, and she's not a slim bird. So I now try and keep openings as minimally wide as possible.

Lifting a surrounding fence also works - I've used bricks to elevate chicken wire to provide wide, low openings that chicks can easily get under, but adults can't. Or if you want to be fancy, my run is chain link and split down the middle with no bottom rail across the split, so the triangular gaps between the chain link and ground are a perfect size for chicks under 6-7 weeks to squeeze through, with no chance of adults following.
 

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