Can my little girls sleeps freely in the coop with the big girl

[ChickenMama1988]

This week i started integrating my (5) 5 week old cinnamon queens with my (2) 15 week old leghorns!! I’ve kept them together seperately for about 5 days with some “supervised play dates” to test the waters! Today i left them all in the run together for some time. My leghorns chase them around a bit, Stella (boss lady) pecked at them a bit but only when they got in her way. I left home for an hour and everything was fine no blood shed! My question is, are they now able to sleep in the coop freely instead of in the tiny brooder in the coop. they mostly free range and the coop is just for sleeping so it’s not big. I don’t wake up with the sun and open the coop door around 7:30-8 so they will be in there for a while so close. (there is food and water in there) I’m so worried i will come out to a blood bath lol. Is there anything i can do to prevent that or should they be fine since there hasn’t been any blood drawn thus far! I just want to make sure all my girls are comfortable and happy

 

[azygous]

The coop arrangement is the least of your concerns. Not much goes on at night while chickens sleep. The chicks will be safe during the night. But a lot depends on how much space they have in the run and can they access the run from the coop when they awake? How long have the chicks had to observe the older ones? It takes about two weeks for chicks to learn the temperaments of the older chickens. After that, they are savvy about which ones to avoid and which won't cause them grief.

It also helps to have places the chicks can hop up onto for safety when the going gets rough. I have a chicken swing in my run, and all my youngsters use it as an island of safety since the older, heavier birds no longer use it. I also have shelves and perches scattered around at various heights.

But the best safety feature that guarantees the chicks won't be injured by an older bully is the "panic room". It's an enclosure with chick size openings that chickens over ten weeks old can't fit through. The chicks quickly learn that's where they can relax in perfect safety. I make these openings 4" x 7".

The most important thing, though, is food and water. Almost all older chickens will bully chicks away from food and water. This can deprive chicks of necessary calories and nutrients necessary for growth and continuing health. I learned this with my very first batch of chicks when two older hens were intent on eating all their chick food. The panic room houses the food and water and the chicks always have plenty to eat and drink this way.

 

[ChickenMama1988]

The coop arrangement is the least of your concerns. Not much goes on at night while chickens sleep. The chicks will be safe during the night. But a lot depends on how much space they have in the run and can they access the run from the coop when they awake? How long have the chicks had to observe the older ones? It takes about two weeks for chicks to learn the temperaments of the older chickens. After that, they are savvy about which ones to avoid and which won't cause them grief.

It also helps to have places the chicks can hop up onto for safety when the going gets rough. I have a chicken swing in my run, and all my youngsters use it as an island of safety since the older, heavier birds no longer use it. I also have shelves and perches scattered around at various heights.

But the best safety feature that guarantees the chicks won't be injured by an older bully is the "panic room". It's an enclosure with chick size openings that chickens over ten weeks old can't fit through. The chicks quickly learn that's where they can relax in perfect safety. I make these openings 4" x 7".

The most important thing, though, is food and water. Almost all older chickens will bully chicks away from food and water. This can deprive chicks of necessary calories and nutrients necessary for growth and continuing health. I learned this with my very first batch of chicks when two older hens were intent on eating all their chick food. The panic room houses the food and water and the chicks always have plenty to eat and drink this way.

the run is 120 square feet but my coops is only 12 square feet! they have been observing each other for quite some time! but i’m not sure in the tradition sense. they have been exposed to each other for more than two weeks. but it’s been a week since the chicks have been outside permently. The chicks are locked in the run and my leghorns free range when i’m home. sometime i bring the leghorns into the run and shut the door and just let them interacting while i watch. but if i wasn’t watching and i had to put the chicks in a pen to keep the separated! Today they spent a lot of time together in the run! the chicks for the most part stay away from the big girls, there was some chasing a few nips but nothing serious. I do have two feeders and waterers and the chicks just eat wherever the other two aren’t.

they don’t normally have access to the run when they first wake up but i am okay with leaving the coop door open for a few nights. The run is predator proof but we don’t really have any predators to worry about anyway! I was thinking that might solve the problem! I do have a swing and and other places they can jump up to but the leghorns fly into my trees so idk if that really helps lol but there is a small space the chicks can fit into that the big girls can’t get to.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I would never lock 7 chickens in coop that is only 12 sq ft. Even if they get along swimmingly while in the run or out and about during the day, once locked in such a small space they can easily go from best pals to bully's or worse cannibles.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Since you said your run is secure enough to leave the pop door open at night, that's what I would do. I usually leave mine cracked open for the first few days, just big enough for chicks to slip out of, so they can at least flee into the run if the older birds are harassing them in the coop.

Really your biggest issue is the coop is so small for the number of birds. How are the roosts arranged, and how many linear ft of roost do you have? Very likely the chicks will have to sleep in the nests or on the floor for a while, as the older birds are unlikely to want to share the roost.

 

[3KillerBs]

In addition to their "panic room"/integration pen, I give my chicks plenty of places where they can go that the bigger birds can't follow all around the coop and I setup pursuit breaks where the chicken can break line of sight even if the adults can get to the space.

Do you have plans to either reduce the flock or expand the coop?

12 square feet is room for 3 chickens. 7 chickens need at least 28 square feet in their coop.

If you show us photos of your setup we can help you improve things.

 

[ChickenMama1988]

I would never lock 7 chickens in coop that is only 12 sq ft. Even if they get along swimmingly while in the run or out and about during the day, once locked in such a small space they can easily go from best pals to bully's or

Since you said your run is secure enough to leave the pop door open at night, that's what I would do. I usually leave mine cracked open for the first few days, just big enough for chicks to slip out of, so they can at least flee into the run if the older birds are harassing them in the coop.

Really your biggest issue is the coop is so small for the number of birds. How are the roosts arranged, and how many linear ft of roost do you have? Very likely the chicks will have to sleep in the nests or on the floor for a while, as the older birds are unlikely to want to share the roost.

i have 2 3ft roosts in the coop about a foot apart from each other! i’m not concerned with the roosts so much as my big girls sleep in one of the nesting boxes together despite my efforts to get them to roost!! the first 6 weeks of their life they weren’t taken care of the right way at all they were even being fed bird seed instead of grower feed .. living in a little bin with newspaper on the floor idk if that’s why .. they didn’t even know what a roost was until i adopted them .. but i do have plans for a bigger coop (shed convert) with plenty of roosting options i know it’s small i messed up .. reviews on the coop said it holds 8-10 chickens but i realized very soon it did not .. but i will just keep the door open until the new coop is up so they can sleep in there at that’s it

 

[ChickenMama1988]

In addition to their "panic room"/integration pen, I give my chicks plenty of places where they can go that the bigger birds can't follow all around the coop and I setup pursuit breaks where the chicken can break line of sight even if the adults can get to the space.

Do you have plans to either reduce the flock or expand the coop?

12 square feet is room for 3 chickens. 7 chickens need at least 28 square feet in their coop.

If you show us photos of your setup we can help you improve things.

i know it’s soo small!! i got my first 2 on a whim .. i had not chicken experience at all .. i had nothing for them .. they weren’t being taken care of right and i had to take them .. they lived in my kitchen for 2 weeks (free range) while i waiting for run and coop delivery .. the reviews said the coop holds 8-10 chickens but after learning and being on here i soon realized no way that’s why i’m so concerned!!

i can’t get rid of any of my girls i love them all so much .. i want more!! we did order plans to build a shed size coop but it will be a few weeks until it’s ready and putting the little girls in that cage at night isn’t sustainable for too much longer. But the run is predator proof so i’m thinking just leaving the coop door open so they can sleep in there and go right out into the run when they get up?!! it’s a little stressful bc i worry about them like they are my kids and i want to do everything right for them!! i attached some pictures for you though .. the pen can come out bc they are fine in the run together but i can close them chicks in if necessary

 

[3KillerBs]

But the run is predator proof so i’m thinking just leaving the coop door open so they can sleep in there and go right out into the run when they get up?!!

That's probably the best temporary solution.

 

[WIchickMama]

Looks like there might be a gap between the body of the run and the door, which if there is could allow predators in. Also, (hard to tell by pics) but it looks like the run is chicken wire. If so, that will keep chickens in but not keep a head strong predator out. Adding hardware cloth at least a few feet around the bottom will help, especially if you are going to leave the coop door open all night.