Big Girls and Teens…

[Svyetii]

Okay, I’m entering another new chapter of chicken raising and would love a sanity check: is it always a bad idea to introduce chicks to hens before they’re the same size, or can they sometimes get along fine?

I have four chicks that are six weeks old. They’ve been in a brooder in my garage, but I’ve been bringing them outside during the day to stay in an A frame chicken tractor for a week or two now, as the long as the weather has been nice. I have two grown girls who are seven months old and we’ll eventually be integrating the chicks with them.

I know it’s best to wait until they’re the same size before introducing the chicks to an existing flock, which is generally what I’ve been doing. The hens can see the chicks in the tractor while they’re out in the yard, but can’t get to them. My plan has been to keep the chicks in the tractor until they’re fully grown, and then move them into the coop (ideally in the dead of night once everyone is sleeping…).

I have had a few unintended moments though thanks to my usually very helpful, but sometimes mischievous dog, where the chicks got out into the yard with the hens. It’s happened three times (yes, measures are now being put into place to prevent this in the future). The first time I totally panicked and rushed to get them back into the tractor. The second time I observed the hens behavior with the chicks for a while and then put them up. The third, I just hung out and watched how things played out and let them be for most of the afternoon.

Here’s what I observed: The first time the chicks were in the tractor one of my hens beaks was particularly out of joint. She was not happy about their arrival. But that lasted only and hour or two. Since then, she mostly leaves them be while they’re in the tractor. my hens did periodically chase after the chicks when they were out. There were what I would call some “posturing pecks” where a hen will make a move to peck, but not actually peck the chick, but so far that’s it. In the moments when they’ve been together, they’ve all been out free ranging in the yard, so there has been plenty of space for the chicks to run away if they need to, and that seems to limit any conflict.

So my question is, if I do this a little bit each day and they seem to be getting along fine, could I consider moving the chicks into the coop sooner? Or is that just a guaranteed recipe for disaster and long-term issues with the flock dynamics?

I appreciate any wisdom and insight you might have to share.

Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do you have an enclosed run space at all or are the chickens 100% free ranging?

Many of us have chicks integrated in with the adults around the 4 week mark, so there really is no reason to wait until they're adult size. My last batch of chicks had full coop and run access with the adults at 15 days old. So since you've already begun the integration process with see but don't touch, I'd encourage you to continue to see if you can pull off an early integration.

 

[Svyetii]

Do you have an enclosed run space at all or are the chickens 100% free ranging?

Many of us have chicks integrated in with the adults around the 4 week mark, so there really is no reason to wait until they're adult size. My last batch of chicks had full coop and run access with the adults at 15 days old. So since you've already begun the integration process with see but don't touch, I'd encourage you to continue to see if you can pull off an early integration.

Thanks! That’s encouraging. I would love to integrate them sooner if possible. How do you typically introduce your chicks to the coop?

Yes, I have a fully enclosed coop and run. See attached photo.

 

[rosemarythyme]

My brooder and early integration article is here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/

Since you're done with the brooding part just skip down about halfway to "Early Integration Process." Hopefully this will give you some ideas about how to provide chick spaces/hiding spaces and spread out resources so the adults won't have as much reason to go after the chicks.

 

[Svyetii]

My brooder and early integration article is here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/

Since you're done with the brooding part just skip down about halfway to "Early Integration Process." Hopefully this will give you some ideas about how to provide chick spaces/hiding spaces and spread out resources so the adults won't have as much reason to go after the chicks.

Awesome, thank you!

 

[3KillerBs]

I know it’s best to wait until they’re the same size before introducing the chicks to an existing flock, which is generally what I’ve been doing.

I don't wait.

Once my chicks leave the brooder I move them to the integration pen inside the main coop -- where they spend a week completely surrounded by the older birds as they all get used to each other.

After a week I open the chick-sized doors to let them roam as they choose -- while still being protected from the older birds.

Here are some useful articles on integration:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-“see-but-don’t-touch”-method.67839/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/adding-to-your-flock.47756/

 

[Svyetii]

I don't wait.

Once my chicks leave the brooder I move them to the integration pen inside the main coop -- where they spend a week completely surrounded by the older birds as they all get used to each other.

After a week I open the chick-sized doors to let them roam as they choose -- while still being protected from the older birds.

Here are some useful articles on integration:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-“see-but-don’t-touch”-method.67839/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/adding-to-your-flock.47756/

This is all giving me more confidence now. As mentioned before, the chicks are currently in a separate tractor near the current coop. And I can move the fencing during the day to give them a protected place to free range in the vacinity of the current flock while still being separate and protected.

But after reading your approach and others, I think I’ll try to set up a separate enclosure for the chicks in the run using and old dog crate and see how they do with that. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough space in the coop itself to have a separate enclosure I don’t think… but maybe I can get creative there too. At minimum, I can set up separate roosting bars for the chicks until they are big enough or feel comfortable enough to integrate with the older girls. And I’m sure I can find a way to create some kind of safe partition there for the chicks to escape if needed.

Thanks again, this was super helpful!

 

[Mrs. K]

What chicks need is a safety zone that they can escape too that bigger birds can't follow.

I just got two chicks 3-4 weeks old get into a flock of 6 hens. I really think sooner is better.

 

[David61]

Next to my chair untill three or four weeks old so me and the dog get to be friends.

Then screened off under the poop board until about 7-8 weeks old.

 

[Svyetii]

What chicks need is a safety zone that they can escape too that bigger birds can't follow.

I just got two chicks 3-4 weeks old get into a flock of 6 hens. I really think sooner is better.

Thanks. I went ahead and changed the set up this afternoon. I’ve now created a separate space for the chicks in the run. Two chick size exits to get to the rest of the run, and two exists into/out of the dog crate just in case one of the hens breeches the first barrier. The chicks were there or free ranging with the hens most of the afternoon.

My plan is to have them roost there, as long as the weather is nice, with the hope that they will eventually explore the coop if locked in the run and start roosting up there on their own. Does that seem reasonable? The run is enclosed and the spot where the chicks are now is enclosed on three sides, with a fence that serves as a windbreak in the other. I think they should be fine at this point, but if the weather gets lousy and they haven’t started roosting in the coop, I may move them to the chicken tractor for the night (which is where they are tonight). Here are a few pics of the new set up.