Advice on moving 12 wk chicks to roost with big girls

[4xhennifer]

Hi my lovely BYC gurus.. question for the crowd. I have been integrating new chicks into my OG flock (Bigs are 26 weeks, Littles are now 12 weeks). At this point, they are pretty much co-existing. I wouldn't necessarily call them integrating so much as tolerating each other lol. But, I will take the win. Anywho, I have them in two different coops to roost at night and have had since the Littles were outside (they are in the same run and free range together during the day). I am waiting on a new, bigger coop to be delivered, which I just found out is going to be delayed. I am supercalifragilisticly over maintaining two coops and having to move the Littles in and out at sunrise and sunset.

I would like to put them into the coop with the big girls in the next few days to get them truly roosting together and starting their full integration. The coop I currently have is rated for 10 chickens, but my fatty OGs barely fit in it as it is. There is room, to be clear, but I worry that any integration flare-ups could get worse being in such close quarters, with no room for the Littles to escape as they do now. I have one bullyish-OG that chases them from time to time. She has never hurt them, but she is for sure enforcing the pecking order. I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of having them roost separately for the next probably two to three weeks. The hardest hit in all this is me due to all the extra maintenance. What are your thoughts?

Pics of the coop inside so you can see the room. The OG girls roost on the top bar. The Littles will definitely prefer the lower bars but I am worried they are going to get trampled when the OG girls wake up and want to get out. All advice is appreciated! Thank you!

 

[DobieLover]

put them into the coop with the big girls in the next few days to get them truly roosting together

This isn't going to happen even with a properly sized coop. They will remain as sub-flocks at a minimum until the younger pullets start to lay.

The coop I currently have is rated for 10 chickens

NEVER trust the literature on a pre-fab coop. That coop is NOT rated for 10 chickens. That is based on commercial standards and is never what is best for the birds.

no room for the Littles to escape

This is a critical aspect to a seamless integration.

I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of having them roost separately for the next probably two to three weeks.

For the birds, there are no pros to forcing them all into a coop that is too small for them.

What are your thoughts?

You need to wait for the larger coop.

The Littles will definitely prefer the lower bars but I am worried they are going to get trampled

They will sleep and poop in the nest boxes. Pretty much guaranteed. And even if they do hunker onto one of the lower bars, they could get pooped on. Unless you are willing to roost them manually every night well after dark and be out there before dawn to let them out of the coop before the terror ensues, you should just wait and put them in the new coop when it arrives. But I would still practice getting out there before they come off the roost in the morning to open the door into the run so they aren't trapped in there together while active.

 

[4xhennifer]

This isn't going to happen even with a properly sized coop. They will remain as sub-flocks at a minimum until the younger pullets start to lay.

NEVER trust the literature on a pre-fab coop. That coop is NOT rated for 10 chickens. That is based on commercial standards and is never what is best for the birds.

This is a critical aspect to a seamless integration.

For the birds, there are no pros to forcing them all into a coop that is too small for them.

You need to wait for the larger coop.

They will sleep and poop in the nest boxes. Pretty much guaranteed. And even if they do hunker onto one of the lower bars, they could get pooped on. Unless you are willing to roost them manually every night well after dark and be out there before dawn to let them out of the coop before the terror ensues, you should just wait and put them in the new coop when it arrives. But I would still practice getting out there before they come off the roost in the morning to open the door into the run so they aren't trapped in there together while active.

All of this was my fear and totally agree on the rating for the number of birds. Unless it is silkies, that 10 is laughable. My own 4 OGs can barely fit on that bar together!

 

[Ridgerunner]

This isn't going to happen even with a properly sized coop. They will remain as sub-flocks at a minimum until the younger pullets start to lay.

NEVER trust the literature on a pre-fab coop. That coop is NOT rated for 10 chickens. That is based on commercial standards and is never what is best for the birds.

This is a critical aspect to a seamless integration.

For the birds, there are no pros to forcing them all into a coop that is too small for them.

You need to wait for the larger coop.

They will sleep and poop in the nest boxes. Pretty much guaranteed. And even if they do hunker onto one of the lower bars, they could get pooped on. Unless you are willing to roost them manually every night well after dark and be out there before dawn to let them out of the coop before the terror ensues, you should just wait and put them in the new coop when it arrives. But I would still practice getting out there before they come off the roost in the morning to open the door into the run so they aren't trapped in there together while active.