Amy,
Brooding new chicks in the pen with the layers is something I would do if I had the need. I would think a pen with all their needs provided separately within a pen where all the others could see & talk to them but not get to them seems like a good way to introduce them to each other right from the start. A sturdy slanted top that could not be roosted on would come to mind. It does seem that chickens like to roost on anything possible & poop on everything they have access to..........LOL. I am visualizing how I would do something like that in my chain .link pens.
As to the netting fence height I used to have an big uncovered free range area with 6' chain link panels that some could go over. All of mine are now covered for predator & mixed breeding control.
I'm glad to hear my reasoning was right! The idea popped in my head when I was putting the (fully lidded, but not slanting) get-to-know-you pen in the coop last week, but I didn't want to mention it as a possibility to anyone in the house until I knew for sure. Husband would be fine if I mentioned it and it turned out to be a bad idea, the 10-year-old would be disappointed but would get over it, and the 5-year-old would be crying for hours if she thought she could have chicks and then I said no
I could always clip wings if I needed to *shrug*
Amy, we use the 7 foot deer fencing or even bird netting to try and keep the chickens out of our garden beds and as deer fencing one the backside of our property. The only birds to challenge the height have been the OEGB's, but they routinely fly up to land on my shoulder. It would do nothing to keep out the neighbor's dog if it wants to get your birds. One of dogs used to tear holes in it to go explore the treed area behind us.
Brooding chicks in the coop should be do-able, just a few challenges to work around. The big girls would probably kill any chick that got out, I had that happen before. It would need a cover to prevent the the older birds from roosting on top, no big deal, but it might make ventilation tougher. You don't get that hot over there so not as much of a problem as it would be here. As far as quarantine goes, the chicks would be exposed to anything your older birds might be carrying, just my opinion but I wouldn't be as concerned about the chicks exposing your older girls to something new.
If I got the deer fencing, it'd be for just around the garden areas--I wouldn't bother with a run, yet (though it just occurred to me that I'd need to do something if I want the chicks to be able to go outside before they're too big to go through the chain link fence... could just attach the other half of the quarantine pen to the outside of the coop, since there's a pop door right there (the older girls have been using the people door, although there's a secondary pop door under the roosts--the lowest of which is higher than the pen).
The pen that would be for the chicks (that the new girls are now in) has a wood top (reclaimed plywood and boards, with hinges) and two walls that are frames with hardware cloth (the back bit of the top, by the wall, is green garden netting--the framing in the coop didn't allow a snug fit). I think it's cooler in there than the main coop, since it's more shaded. Then again, the new girls came from Redding, so I think they've been enjoying the warmer weather this week.
@AmyPaperlady yes you can brood chicks in the pen. It makes a ton of sense to do it that way too. I think we tend to coddle home brooded chicks when they are actually made of much sterner stuff. Mama hens brood in the pen so...
As long as they are out of drafts and have warmth and they can't escape all is well. My last batch I brooded for 3 wks in the house then moved out to the coop. They were great! I know some put them out after a week. The main reason to brood in the house initially is just to keep a very close eye on them for pasting and other problems that occur more in the first week. My brooder is a rubbermaid tub. Deann broods in them too. They can be more elaborate if you want them to be but it isn't essential.
But if you can keep a close eye on them for that first week provide them enough warmth and a draft and escape free spot there is no reason not to start them out in thepen.
I can see keeping them in the house for a week--it's the long term I would have trouble with! I'm sure my daughters would love having so much access, as well
I'd probably have to keep them in the laundry room to keep our dog from checking out the new "toys"--she absolutely refuses to even stick her nose in there (which scuppered our original plan of having her bed and food in there when we bought the house).
Hopefully she'll stop that as she gets more comfortable here.
