Chick integration with existing flock?

[ChickenTenderz]

I have 4 RIR pullets that will be 1 yr old on April 6th. I also have 4 Black Australorp pullets (I hope)they are 2 weeks old. Right now they are in our brooder in the house. But they are stirring up quite a bit of dust and may be messing with my husband's allergies. We have taken them on field trips to the backyard several times on sunny days and our "big girls" turn and run away when they see them. At what age and size would it be safe to move them out to the coop? We're in upstate SC so it's warm during the day but can still drop to the 30's at night right now.

 

[jreardon1918]

I have 4 RIR pullets that will be 1 yr old on April 6th. I also have 4 Black Australorp pullets (I hope)they are 2 weeks old. Right now they are in our brooder in the house. But they are stirring up quite a bit of dust and may be messing with my husband's allergies. We have taken them on field trips to the backyard several times on sunny days and our "big girls" turn and run away when they see them. At what age and size would it be safe to move them out to the coop? We're in upstate SC so it's warm during the day but can still drop to the 30's at night right now.

Can you build a brooder in your run/coop. We are moving our 1 week old chicks to the outdoor brooder today. And we are quite a bit north of you. They will have a sunbeam MHP (Momma Heating Pad) as their only source of heat. They will be in a see but no touch world for the next three weeks. Then We will open little chick doors at 4 weeks and let the chicks decide when they want to integrate. There is a very nice article that is how we decided on this method.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

Our setup is no where as nice, but has worked our last two integrations. It also, limits the mess using indoor brooding. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/brooder-in-covered-run-updated-7-11-six-weeks.75584/

Lastly here are the expected temperatures in our area for the next week.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If those temperatures hold they will need heat for another two to three weeks. Many people are allergic to chicken dander which compounds the issues with brooding indoors. It can be a rough situation to be in.

Can you provide electricity in the coop? Do you have an outbuilding like a workshop or detached garage where you could put them? As a last resort, maybe an attached garage to at least reduce the dander? Can you build an outdoor brooder that keeps them dry, out of the wind, and is predator proof that you can heat?

Brooding in the coop is optimum as far as integration as long as they can see each other. Then you can use the method above and have them integrated really young. A brooder in the run is pretty good too. If they can see each other then use the same method as above. Even if they can't see each other when very young you can put a fence around it and use it as a base for integration.

A lot of if's. That's a problem of not knowing what you are working with. If you cannot brood them in the coop or run, once they can handle the weather put them in a "look but don't touch" situation. House them across wire for a week or two before you let them mingle. Give them as much room as you can. The chicks need to be able to run away from and just avoid the adults. You can improve the quality of what room you have by adding what we call clutter, that's stuff they can hide under, behind, or over. Having widely separated food and water stations can help, especially if they are not in line-of-sight of each other. I've never used @azygous panic room method, I've never needed it, but especially if room is tight and there is sufficient size difference (adult bantams can mess with this) it can really help. You did follow those links didn't you, like a good student?

The more we know about your situation and what you have to work with the more specific we can get with our suggestions and the more "if's" we can avoid. Good luck with it.

 

[ChickenTenderz]

Here is a pic of the inside of our coop...we don't keep food & water in there, that is from a day we were getting the chicks used to the coop during the day before moving them out last year. We have the coop inside a chain link dogpen and covered with wire on top. So far no predator issues. There is now two nesting boxes on the right inside below the perch and a second perch has been added so they have options.
I don't have power run to the coop and no space to have an outdoor brooder in the coop plus I can't put them outside until they are too big to squeeze through the fence.
Our current babies are not fully feathered yet but the big girls act scared of them? And I was worried they might want to bully them since they are so small.

 

[ChickenTenderz]

If those temperatures hold they will need heat for another two to three weeks. Many people are allergic to chicken dander which compounds the issues with brooding indoors. It can be a rough situation to be in.

Can you provide electricity in the coop? Do you have an outbuilding like a workshop or detached garage where you could put them? As a last resort, maybe an attached garage to at least reduce the dander? Can you build an outdoor brooder that keeps them dry, out of the wind, and is predator proof that you can heat?

Brooding in the coop is optimum as far as integration as long as they can see each other. Then you can use the method above and have them integrated really young. A brooder in the run is pretty good too. If they can see each other then use the same method as above. Even if they can't see each other when very young you can put a fence around it and use it as a base for integration.

A lot of if's. That's a problem of not knowing what you are working with. If you cannot brood them in the coop or run, once they can handle the weather put them in a "look but don't touch" situation. House them across wire for a week or two before you let them mingle. Give them as much room as you can. The chicks need to be able to run away from and just avoid the adults. You can improve the quality of what room you have by adding what we call clutter, that's stuff they can hide under, behind, or over. Having widely separated food and water stations can help, especially if they are not in line-of-sight of each other. I've never used @azygous panic room method, I've never needed it, but especially if room is tight and there is sufficient size difference (adult bantams can mess with this) it can really help. You did follow those links didn't you, like a good student?

The more we know about your situation and what you have to work with the more specific we can get with our suggestions and the more "if's" we can avoid. Good luck with it.

I did read the articles and they were good information. I don't have the room to do what they suggest.

 

[MrsNorthie]

I have 4 RIR pullets that will be 1 yr old on April 6th. I also have 4 Black Australorp pullets (I hope)they are 2 weeks old. Right now they are in our brooder in the house. But they are stirring up quite a bit of dust and may be messing with my husband's allergies. We have taken them on field trips to the backyard several times on sunny days and our "big girls" turn and run away when they see them. At what age and size would it be safe to move them out to the coop? We're in upstate SC so it's warm during the day but can still drop to the 30's at night right now.

We are also in the upstate region. We have chickens that are 17 wks, and new hen chicks arriving in a couple of weeks and some more a couple of weeks after that. (We ended up with too many roosters so my chicken math may be a little out of control while I try to balance the flock.) I plan on brooding them in my office, as with our first group, gives me plenty of time to baby the babies. The dust can be difficult. I got 2 Ionic Pro air cleaners to help, and they really do work well.


Once they are fully feathered, we are going to have a section of the run blocked off so they can see the older chickens, until they are familiar and big enough to be merged. We spend a couple of hours in the morning and 2-3 hours in the evening just sitting out in the run with them, socializing and hand-feeding. (I call this chicken therapy..) So the plan is to facilitate the integration on the weekend when we can sit out with them for most of the day, to be sure that everyone is on their best behaviour. Most of my girls are really docile, the blessing of buffs, but I have one that can be a little stinker on occasion.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I plan on brooding them in my office, as with our first group, gives me plenty of time to baby the babies. The dust can be difficult. I got 2 Ionic Pro air cleaners to help, and they really do work well.


Once they are fully feathered, we are going to have a section of the run blocked off so they can see the older chickens, until they are familiar and big enough to be merged.

FYI you might want to consider brooding outside in the future. Much easier on your lungs and it allows you to begin the integration process at the same time. The tinyness of young chicks is actually an advantage in integration. And if you still plan on spending a few hours each day with them they shouldn't be any less friendly even if raised outside.