Combining flocks, moving younger chicks to the coop

[rookiefarmers]

*woooooo hoooooooo*
Our girls are on night two in the coop divided and I can tell it will go even better than yesterday. I think there is an end in sight to all the chicken wire dividers. they are so good in the run together that I KNOW eventually they will be nice in the coop as well.
Congrats on the newest additions!

 

[OlivesMama]

YAY Rookiefarmers!!! I hope it continues to go well.

I have been having trouble getting all of my girls to go into the coop at night on their own. I would get half in, then some would come out, most in, then a few more out and on and on and on on. It's been a loud frenzy at bedtime lately. They try and pile in front of the garage door where their brooder used to be. I swear they remember and are comforted by the garage because they sneak in if the door is left open!

Anyway, last night all but one made it into the coop on their own. Poor little Wilma just couldn't figure out out! I left her to try and go in on her own, while the flock took turns poking their heads out the door and answering her loud chirps. It was hilarious to see! The last time I went out, it was quiet. Success! Then she heard my voice and came out of the wood pile she had bedded down in. She then flew up to my shoulder and tried to stick her head into my hair! Maybe she thought that my bun made a fine place to roost for the night? I had to put her on the top of the ramp and nudge her in. Her flock was in the nesting box, so she tried to pile in with Flock #1. The roster thought that was a terrible idea and pecked at her. She was pretty distraught by this point, seeming to have lost her flock. Finally one of them called to her and she settled in for the night. #chickenproblems #chickendrama

 

[rookiefarmers]

Aww! We have to do the whole chicken rodeo round up EVERY NIGHT because we have to put them into two separate spaces. Plus there is a **** wild cat stalking the run past 7:30. My hubby comes home this week and promised to kill it or trap it, then sit out with me to ensure they all get in OK.
I am just so happy to see them all getting along so well. In the run they have read he'd a truce and that's a win to me. A couple weeks of harmony is a big deal I think! Not sure how to approach the whole coop undivision but we will cross that bridge when we get there! We will get there eventually... right!?!

 

[rookiefarmers]

*reached. Thanks autocorrect!

 

[OlivesMama]

Rookiefarmers, if they get along in the run they may be ready to roost together at night. I've learned it takes them just working things out on their own. Sometimes the babies get pecked at, but but they have learned their place in the flock. Combine them fully when you have time to observe, so you can intervene and remove if needed. I know I tend to mother my chickens too much and probably intervene way before I need to. I'm working on just letting my chickens be chickens and not try to micro-manage the flock so much. They do better when I take a step back.

Cleo the Americauna from Flock #2 has been roosting with the Barred Rocks and Olive and Nugget have been sleeping in a pile with Flock #2. They have very slowly started to integrate and seem to tolerate each other more when it's time to roost at night. I even caught Olive tucking a few of the babies from Flock #2 under her wings at night. She was the worst hen at first, clearly asserting her dominance over the chicks and pecking them if they got too close. I knew she'd be the head hen because she was months older and raised Flock #1 (the big girls). Olive will challenge the rooster and chest bump him. It's pretty funny to see, since Silkies are supposed to be a the bottom of the pecking order due to size. Not my Olive!

 

[rookiefarmers]

I think we are getting closer to undividing the coop. But there is still a decent difference in size a few big girls are still pretty aggressive so I won't put them k a place they can't run and hide until I see less of that behavior. But I think we are getting closer and closer.

 

[OlivesMama]

That's good to hear. Smokey, my California Gray is much smaller than the big girls and gets chased every once in a while. She has lots of places to hide in the chicken yard, so I know she'll be OK. The babies all stick pretty close together and that makes it easier on them.

 

[rookiefarmers]

Ours are 100% fine in the huge run. And I have seen it get even better since sharing the coop, even with it divided, so I think maybe this weekend while we are home we will try it. I am a little freaked after reading about someone on here recently doing it having one baby killed and the other pecked til it was nearly dead. :/

 

[lauranickerson]

Question:

My first flock I bought back on March 26th of this year. Some were a week or so old, and the few B.Os I got were maybe a day or so. Got 4 ducks too, and they have meshed well together. The ducks are full size now, and everyone but the B.Os are fully feathered and almost to full size.

Well, mid-April, about a month later, I bought some brand new baby chicks again. With some deaths, I ended up with only one lonely Wh. Leghorn. Well, Leghorns are small in the first place, but she's finishing her ugly stage, but only about a 1/4 of the size of the biggest chickens I have from March. She's the nicest chicken EVER and loves to be picked up and sit on my shoulder. I'm trying to get the other chickens used to her by putting her in the run with them while I sit on a cinderblock and watch. She ends up just sticking within a foot of me because the others run up to her and peck her. Sometimes I think I should just let it happen because it's pecking order, but if they all chased her at once, they could really hurt her. One pecked her and she let out a loud scream. I pecked the big chicken back with my fingers and the baby ran in-between my feet.

How long until I can let them be together without the bigger ones trying to kill her? Would they actually kill her or is it truly just pecking order in action?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

 

[jlhowland]

I seem to have more issues in the run than in the coop. My girls stay away from the new ones but still roost with them no problems. In the run they start their dominance assertion.