all day Free Rangers; I have a question about chicks in your flocks! please advise...

[thistlewick]

I am new to this and while my gut is telling me to just open the brooder pen, I would like some advice from anyone who has a similar set up to me and has done this already.

This is my first foray into growing my established flock.

I have 15 hens and 1 rooster. 1 year old. (they just graduated to the hen and rooster titles! \o/)

I have a converted shed that is the hen house, it's BIG 10x16 and they roost in it at night and go to eat snacks in there from time to time and lay eggs in there. They spend 10% of their daytime in the hen house. They roam all over my property and it has great coverage/bushes/lean-tos/barns for protection. I'm on 24 total acres.

I have a brooder pen on the floor of the hen house, the chicks in there are 4-7 weeks old. I have it set up right now completely blocked up, but I put in a small chick-sized door that they will be able to fit through up until probably 9-11 weeks old (depending on the size of the bird) so they can 'escape' the big ones but right now, they are not running around with the bigs.

I have noticed 2 of the 7 week old chicks feather plucking from another 7 and 5 week old chick. I sat and observed this for 2 days before singling out the 2 pullets who were doing the behavior.

I have since let them OUT and about with the bigs, to VERY little issue (which makes me relieved and happy) letting them grow up and sleep in the same place has made ALL the difference omg.

Okay, so

I am sitting there wondering, what do I do now? Do I just let this go on for 1 more week before moving the rest of the 7 week olds out (the plan was always to remove them from the brooder pen at 8 weeks but I just look at the tiny 5 week old chicks and think, they are TOO SMALL to be allowed the BIG OUTSIDEWORLDDDDD

am I being overprotective? yes. for sure. am I worried about hawks?!?!? YES because we had a hawk attack on my initial flock at 9 and 6 weeks and a 6 week old got taken. I actually rescued Pepper FROM a hawk, it was dramatic, it later got stuck in the coop.. lord!

I may have some trauma related to that event lol

So, well... what do you guys do?!? I am looking for people with my similar situation - who open their doors for their girls (and boys) to free range on their large area all day (I let them out 2 hours after dawn, every single day without fail, rain or snow or shine) what do you do with chicks? I've got the integration down -- brooding them IN the hen house is the secret sauce. The big girls and boy do not mind the little ones.

But I am just frozen with indecision.

My initial plan was to just WAIT until the smallest ones were 8 weeks old, but the bigger ones are crowded in there now, I don't want the feather plucking to continue...

Do I just slowly remove the ones as they get to be 8 weeks old?

Can I just remove the outer barrier and let them go in and out as they please? (<---- this is what my gut wants to do, today! My gut says just let them out and see how it goes. If we lose some, we lose some because those are the risks of free ranging and I want to free range.)

but before I do this, I'd like some advice, if possible, from anyone else who regularly adds to their flock this way, what do you do?

A lot of people have brooding in the henhouse/run, but they don't free range, so I feel like it's different..

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mine do not free range. I have over 2,000 square feet outside in electric netting, so nothing as big as yours. The electric netting protects them against ground-based predators but not flying predators.

My broody hens hatch in the coop with the flock. By the time the chicks are 3 or 4 days old the broody takes them outside and keeps them outside all day, bringing them in the coop to sleep at night. Some broodies wean their chicks as early as 3 weeks of age, some wait until they are almost 3 months old. Most probably around 5 weeks old. Once they are weaned they are totally on their own.

My brooder is in the coop. When they are 5 weeks old I open the brooder door. I have no problems with integration as the brooder was in the coop. The chicks do fine on their own.

I used to free range like you. In three years I lost two birds, probably to foxes. Then one summer I lost 8 birds and later an additional 5 birds to dog attacks. That's when I put up the electric netting.

Some people can be wiped out almost immediately from predator attacks. Others can go years with few problems.

Chicks are more vulnerable to certain predators. Older chickens are safe from most snakes. The smaller the chicks are the more snakes out there that can eat them. Small chicks are more vulnerable to certain flying predators. Your risks are higher with smaller chicks. But that does nt0o mean anything is certain.

Good luck!

 

[thistlewick]

Thanks for this, this helps!!

Our predator load is light as heck, we only have hawks swing by every couple of days. But they DO swing by and Chuck DOES warn everyone. He's very vigilant.

It is a catch 22, worried about losing any and then wanting the best for them.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would let them out. Overcrowding causes way more problems.

If mine are under a broody, I let her manage it. If they are not with a broody, mine are with the flock by 3-4 weeks. I have safety zones and escape routes through out my run.

I have insane amount of predators, have been wiped out more than once, so I do not free range every day. I would keep them locked in the run with the flock for another 2 weeks, until they kind of follow the flock.

Mrs K

 

[thistlewick]

I would let them out. Overcrowding causes way more problems.

If mine are under a broody, I let her manage it. If they are not with a broody, mine are with the flock by 3-4 weeks. I have safety zones and escape routes through out my run.

I have insane amount of predators, have been wiped out more than once, so I do not free range every day. I would keep them locked in the run with the flock for another 2 weeks, until they kind of follow the flock.

Mrs K

I have never once locked my flock up in the run -- but I guess I can?

So the idea is, let them out, lock them up for a while and just let them integrate together? Then, when I DO let them out, they might follow the big girls?

Right now, my ground space is 280 square feet

If I lock them in, I will have 33 birds and 2 ducks all in 280 square feet

All we need to do is HWC a larger extension, which is another 128 square feet for a grand total of 408, which would be better. We can hwc it fairly quickly, in a few hours.


(we are planning another 128 square feet on top of that -- for a grand final total of 536 sqaure feet for whenever we want to go on a vacation! they can stay in the hen house/run)

I suppose, we can HWC the extension that is built (it just needs hwc to make it safe) and do your idea of letting them mingle for a couple weeks.

man, I will PISS OFF my chickens if I don't let them out LOL

 

[Mrs. K]

I don't use the hardwire, just line my chain link with a smaller chicken wire, and just the lower part of the run.

You mentioned a rooster, alerting to problems - you want to make sure (I think it is instinctive) that chicks pick up on that. Mine are with the flock, but not in the flock until they begin to lay.

When you say 33 birds, some of those will be chicks - one can cheat on space in the summer if you have chicks - but come the fall and the long nights - you need to fit the dimensions.

I have to have a run that will hold them, because predators come back for an easy meal. So when I get a hit, I go into lockdown for several weeks.

Not to toot my own post - but do you have clutter in the run, places where birds can get out of sight, and out of mind? That can really help with chicks.

Mrs K

 

[thistlewick]

I don't use the hardwire, just line my chain link with a smaller chicken wire, and just the lower part of the run.

You mentioned a rooster, alerting to problems - you want to make sure (I think it is instinctive) that chicks pick up on that. Mine are with the flock, but not in the flock until they begin to lay.

When you say 33 birds, some of those will be chicks - one can cheat on space in the summer if you have chicks - but come the fall and the long nights - you need to fit the dimensions.

I have to have a run that will hold them, because predators come back for an easy meal. So when I get a hit, I go into lockdown for several weeks.

Not to toot my own post - but do you have clutter in the run, places where birds can get out of sight, and out of mind? That can really help with chicks.

Mrs K

Yeah a load of crap we love giving them stuff not to mention the duck pond (we put bricks in so chickens can get out if they ever get in)

By winter it should be alright, 64 feet of roosting space

We thought it was just 32, but no, they use the edges of the table as roosts, too

hell, they lay in the sand of the poop table sometimes, my birds are derpy lol they love to cuddle puddle at the end of the roosting table -- all surrounding Chuck.

this is the section we need to add hwc to -- the first bit of the run is done and super secure, we leave the pop door open 24/7 now and just close the door to the exterior parts when we put them to bed.

we have loads of stuff we can put in there for barriers, etc when we close it up.

we need to build a door from the run to the extension too, but that's easy enough.

 

[Perris]

I have a brooder pen on the floor of the hen house, the chicks in there are 4-7 weeks old. I have it set up right now completely blocked up, but I put in a small chick-sized door that they will be able to fit through up until probably 9-11 weeks old (depending on the size of the bird) so they can 'escape' the big ones

I would open it up

Do I just let this go on for 1 more week before moving the rest of the 7 week olds out (the plan was always to remove them from the brooder pen at 8 weeks

why was 8 weeks in the plan?

I just look at the tiny 5 week old chicks and think, they are TOO SMALL to be allowed the BIG OUTSIDEWORLDDDDD

mine are out at 2 days old, as soon as the broody brings them off the nest. But they are not normally on their own for months; their broody looks after them, shows them what's what (esp what's edible and how to find it), offers them shelter and warmth whenever they need it, wherever they need it. Once they are fully feathered they can control their body temperature, but they are still innocents abroad without a broody.

So, well... what do you guys do?!? I am looking for people with my similar situation - who open their doors for their girls (and boys) to free range on their large area all day (I let them out 2 hours after dawn, every single day without fail, rain or snow or shine) what do you do with chicks?

I only raise chicks via broodies. That's not going to help you at this stage, but may perhaps in the future.

I've got the integration down -- brooding them IN the hen house is the secret sauce. The big girls and boy do not mind the little ones.

Having a brooder in the coop solves the integration issue, but that's only part of the challenge of growing up. Do not expect any of the adults in the flock to play the broody role in teaching the chicks how to be a chicken, or offering shelter. Occasionally one might play aunty, but it's unusual. So the chicks will have to learn by watching the adults at a distance. They cannot do that from inside the coop (looking at where the brooder is positioned in your photo). But outside they will be essentially on their own, and like kids, they will make mistakes. Normally they will survive such mistakes, and even if they don't, their siblings who witnessed it will learn a lesson from it, and hopefully not make the same one.

They do normally cheep loudly if they are in distress. If you can be present, and are attentive for the first couple of days, perhaps you can play broody to rescue them from such situations? It helps if they already know you as friend and bringer of food.

 

[thistlewick]

I would open it up

why was 8 weeks in the plan?

mine are out at 2 days old, as soon as the broody brings them off the nest. But they are not normally on their own for months; their broody looks after them, shows them what's what (esp what's edible and how to find it), offers them shelter and warmth whenever they need it, wherever they need it. Once they are fully feathered they can control their body temperature, but they are still innocents abroad without a broody.


I only raise chicks via broodies. That's not going to help you at this stage, but may perhaps in the future.

Having a brooder in the coop solves the integration issue, but that's only part of the challenge of growing up. Do not expect any of the adults in the flock to play the broody role in teaching the chicks how to be a chicken, or offering shelter. Occasionally one might play aunty, but it's unusual. So the chicks will have to learn by watching the adults at a distance. They cannot do that from inside the coop (looking at where the brooder is positioned in your photo). But outside they will be essentially on their own, and like kids, they will make mistakes. Normally they will survive such mistakes, and even if they don't, their siblings who witnessed it will learn a lesson from it, and hopefully not make the same one.

They do normally cheep loudly if they are in distress. If you can be present, and are attentive for the first couple of days, perhaps you can play broody to rescue them from such situations? It helps if they already know you as friend and bringer of food.

Yes I can absolutely be there all day!

It was 8 weeks for size reasons, really - so they wouldn't be such tasty hawk fare. The initial flock was 8-9 weeks old when the hawks attacked the younger ones that were 6 weeks old. It was the 6 week olds that had the rough time. I was just trying to be cautious.

I would LOVE to have a broody hatch, but Tilly is the only girl so far whose gone broody and her first batch, all eggs were duds, and her second attempt - I tried to introduce chicks and she tried to kill them lol (to be fair, I did it poorly. I know better now)

 

[Mrs. K]

A pallet laying flat on bricks, the bricks lift it high enough that it can offer a perfect escape. Put it towards the middle, so that it can be reached from all four sides. I tend to feed my chicks there.