Chicks won't go outside

[Gypsy07]

I have four Marans chicks at seven weeks old in my henhouse with seven adult birds. At night when the big ones are in, I fence the wee ones off in a corner of the shed so they don't get pecked on. During the day when the adults are out free ranging, I let the wee ones have the run of the whole shed. And I leave the pop hole to the run open too, but so far they really don't seem to want to go outside at all, even when it's a nice sunny day. They look out the door, but that's all. As far as I can tell, they spend most of their days dozing together in a big heap on the floor. Is this normal? They're healthy looking, growing like weeds, eating tons and when I go in to handle them, they're very active, zooming about all over the place. But left on their own, they just doss about doing nothing. What gives? Do growing chicks still need lots of sleep? They're not lethargic, more just plain lazy!

Here's a pic of them fenced off for safety:

I'm hoping that having them in with the big 'uns like this will mean that when they're big enough, integrating them will go smoothly, cause the adults will have been getting used to them for a couple of months. Can anyone tell me at how many weeks old I could try this? Or does it really just depend on how long it takes them to get to their full size? They're at about three quarters of a kilo each now but still tiny compared with the adults...

 

[ChickenToes]

It's normal. They'll go outside eventually, they're just content inside the coop.

You could try integrating them with the older birds at any time, it really doesn't matter.

 

[chicmom]

It's totally normal.......it's a BIG world out there.....they are a bit afraid. They will go out when they're ready.

Don't worry!

Sharon