Are they ready to join the ladies?

[Cryss]

These gals have been in this introduction dog cage since we brought them home the day after Mother's Day. We experimented with letting "the girls" join "the ladies" last night for about 2 hours with supervision. This video pretty much represents how it went. This gave us a chance to clean it out and add fresh bedding. The girls stayed at this end of the run (covered with tarps to keep food area dry) until the ladies decided it was time for bed. Once ladies were tucked in the girls ventured to the other sunny end. That was only a few minutes. They started congregating at the main gate and crying. I took that to mean they just couldn't figure out how to get back inside the dog cage. I had to grab them and put them inside. Roopecca, who had gone to bed, could hear them squawking and sounded out the warning call while pecking at the closed pop door. Once the girls were safely inside with a dark tarp cover they quieted right down and Roopecca settled back down.
We're considering doing this again tonight but this time picking them up and putting them in the henhouse to roost for the night. Bern has tomorrow off so he could watch for problems. We both have Monday off so it's a good time for us. Question is, is it a good time for them? What do you think?

And they discover the joy of dustbathing!

 

[Roo5]

Definitely ready!

 

[Cryss]

I've been most concerned about Kitkit. She's so tiny. She hatched from a slightly later group but blended easily with the newbies. I would have liked her to be a bit bigger before joining the hens but that could mean penning her up alone while letting her larger sisters free.
@Brahma Chicken5000 convinced me to try a Leghorn. Matilda was the first to exit the pen, first to wander to the other end of the run, and first to get close to eating from my hand. Close. Not yet. The others ran away.

 

[aart]

They look ready to get out of that crate, pretty tight quarters.
Taking the feed and waterer out of the crate might make it look 'unfamiliar, and why they won't go back in?

The area around the crate is tight....and that's the hens waterer so they might try to protect it. Also tight to get by the cocks coop/run into the larger run area. Those bottlenecks can make it hard for the newbs to get out of the way of their superiors.
Not sure if you can rearrange stuff, I can't really see the whole area.

 

[Cryss]

They look ready to get out of that crate, pretty tight quarters.
Taking the feed and waterer out of the crate might make it look 'unfamiliar, and why they won't go back in?

The area around the crate is tight....and that's the hens waterer so they might try to protect it. Also tight to get by the cocks coop/run into the larger run area. Those bottlenecks can make it hard for the newbs to get out of the way of their superiors.
Not sure if you can rearrange stuff, I can't really see the whole area.

The crate had the feed and water back inside at bedtime. We were just giving it a cleanout. As they've grown its definitely cramped so it's time. The crate will come out as soon as we know they can stay with the ladies. Probably tonight. That will free up that outside area.

For now the bottleneck has to stay. The lousy prefab coops need to stay under the covered portion of the run. Weather is not a friend to those coops. In a couple of weeks the big coop could be ready (please mother nature, cooperate!) After they move in we can make some adjustments to prefab positions.

I'm on it.

 

[cheekychick3]

Hi love your videos, i think they are about ready too. Beautiful flock you have,
and also love their names. lol

 

[Mrs. K]

The way you have it set up, you are controlling the interactions. And while you are there, that is fine, but trouble can happen when you are not there. If you can take the bottom out of the pen, and then put the pen up on some blocks, and you would have a very good situation, allowing the chicks and chickens to work it on their terms.

This will act like a oneway gate, in which the chicks can get into their safe place, while a cranky old hen cannot follow them. They are already homed on that, so this would be an easy fix if you can take the floor off. If you can't, you could do a similar thing with the gate. Open it and secure it, then add a piece of chicken wire or cardboard or something towards the top, leaving an opening that the chicks can fit through, but the hens cannot.

One way gates are the best way to introduce them.

It will allow the chicks to venture forth when they are feeling brave and curious, and a safe zone to retreat to, if the older birds get cranky with them.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

If you can take the bottom out of the pen, and then put the pen up on some blocks, and you would have a very good situation, allowing the chicks and chickens to work it on their terms.

I love this technique but chicks and crate in this situation are a bit small to facilitate,
works much better when chicks are tiny.

 

[Cryss]

They have all been in the run together for about 3 hours, at least half of that unsupervised. We're going to try putting everyone to bed together in a bit. We will sit outside listening for a while. If all remains quiet we will leave them in. If there's a big row we will put the newbies back in the cage for the night. If they stay I will let them out early and see how they fared. Bern will be home to watch them. If all goes well he will remove the cage.
Wish us luck!

 

[aart]

Wish us luck!

Best of cLuck!!