Confused about sleeping arrangement when integrating chicks

[SJaneDoe]

So I have 2 older hens already and am getting ready to integrate 5 little ones (5 weeks old). I have a large dog crate that I'm intending to use for the look-don't-touch part inside the run and/or during free ranging. What I'm confused about is how do I get the little ones to sleep in the coop at night with the older hens instead of bringing them back inside the house at night? The coop itself is small, so no room for the dog crate inside.

I should add that while is this going on we're also expanding the size of the run by 1.5x. Should I allow all of them access to the new area at once?

 

[BDutch]

At a young age the chicks need a place where they can hide from the older hens.
Fences wit a large maze where the chicks can walk through but the oldies can’t, are great. A cardboard box as a safe space with holes for the chicks is great too.

Integrating is most difficult at roost time. The older hens often defend ‘their’ roosting area and won’t allow chicks to join. Not at 5 weeks, maybe not at 10 week and even not at 15 or 20 weeks old.

You probably need a separate roost area. If the coop is too small for a second roost not too close to the hens, you need to create another roost space for the chicks. Maybe a safe covered run where the chicks can sleep will do during the summer months? Or add another small coop to avoid fighting and nervous behaviour.

For this reason I have two small coops with each 4 chickens sleeping in it. You can read more in my Article ‘converted playhouse’ or in the thread in my signature. Bought the playhouse in the summer of 2024.

 

[SJaneDoe]

You probably need a separate roost area. If the coop is too small for a second roost not too close to the hens, you need to create another roost space for the chicks. Maybe a safe covered run where the chicks can sleep will do during the summer months?

Thanks for responding!
The coop has 3 separate roosts inside that fit about 5-6 chickens each if they're snuggled up together, and I also have 2 roosts inside the covered run for relaxing on. Will the outdoor roosts work? I guess the chicks could sleep there for the summer, but I'm worried about how to move them inside the coop for the winter. I'd rather not have to build a second coop after just throwing all my resources into building a giant new run. Your playhouse conversion is very cool though!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Since it sounds like space is an issue I'd do run integration first, so expect to bring them in at night for a week or two until you're ready to integrate into the coop.

With work on the run, is it going on right now, or will it happen after integration? How big is the run at this moment? And how big is the coop? If it's too small for a dog crate can you wall off part of it temporarily once you're ready for coop integration, because that could be a challenge if the coop realistically isn't big enough for 7 birds.

 

[BDutch]

Thanks for responding!
The coop has 3 separate roosts inside that fit about 5-6 chickens each if they're snuggled up together, and I also have 2 roosts inside the covered run for relaxing on. Will the outdoor roosts work? I guess the chicks could sleep there for the summer, but I'm worried about how to move them inside the coop for the winter. I'd rather not have to build a second coop after just throwing all my resources into building a giant new run. Your playhouse conversion is very cool though!

Your coop is larger than I presumed. If an integration as Rosemarythyme describes is possible, it probably works out just fine.
Giving the sizes and adding a few photos/drawings (now and future) is very helpful for additional tips.

 

[LaFleche]

I have 2 older hens already and am getting ready to integrate 5 little ones (

The chicks will grow very fast and then thete will be 7 hens to accommodate.

The coop itself is small, so no room for the dog crate inside.

If the coop is too small to fit the dog crate it might also be too small to fit 7 hens.

Maybe give some dimensions and add a few pictures of your set up for us.

You could just add an extra coop for the chicks which will make integration much easier and help to avoid the not so nice scenes in the evenings when the older hens will defend their coop from the newbies.
Add a separate feeder to the chick coop as well.

 

[SJaneDoe]

Hi all, thanks for your help!
I don't think I'm explaining myself well. My coop is 30 sq ft plus 5 nest boxes. I've had up to 8 hens sleep in it in the past with no issues. Their water, food, toys, dust bath etc. are all outside the coop. The dog crate would technically fit inside the coop space-wise, but because of how the roosts are installed along the centre, it won't go in.

We have an existing covered run that's 96 sq ft. (about 4.5 ft tall), plus extra space under the raised coop. We're adding a much taller covered run that's an additional 160 sq ft, which will be hopefully completed this weekend. The girls get out for free ranging a lot, they're really only in the run when no one is at home. I'm confident there's enough space for all 7 chickens, and the new ones will have their own food and water. I'm just concerned about how to get the big girls to allow the younger ones into the coop at night.

I'm attaching a pic of the inside of the coop (these are not the chicks I have now, this is when it was first built) and the whole setup. The tall structure in the back is the new run.

 

[BDutch]

Great info and photo’s!

Maybe a visual divider between two roosts is all you need. Hang a piece of cloth or a large piece of cardboard in between the roost where the hens sleep and the roost at the other end. Not seeing each other helps a lot. If the hens don’t accept the chicks at all, you might need a better divider.

If you close it off completely except for a few openings near the floor where the chicks can go through and the hens cant, -> the chicks have a safe haven. Put them in after dark with water and chick feed.

Watch and see if they start to roost by themselves after a week. If the chicks have their own space to sleep and there is no fuzz around roost time you can change from real divider to curtain/visual divider.

A few weeks later you can take away the curtain too if you prefer that. Watch and see if the newcomers are accepted. Or wait until the juveniles are 16 weeks old/ full size.

I have no experience with such dividers or curtains, bc my coop is too small for that. I know from other people it can help a lot. Even with competing roosters.

The 2 small coops and 2 tiny coops (small prefab and large nest box) I have, are the no fuzz solution for my flock whenever I have broodies or chicks.

Btw 5 nestboxes is too much for 7 hens. You only need 2 or 3. The other nestbox areas can be used to store chicken stuff.

 

[LaFleche]

Hi all, thanks for your help!
I don't think I'm explaining myself well. My coop is 30 sq ft plus 5 nest boxes. I've had up to 8 hens sleep in it in the past with no issues. Their water, food, toys, dust bath etc. are all outside the coop. The dog crate would technically fit inside the coop space-wise, but because of how the roosts are installed along the centre, it won't go in.

We have an existing covered run that's 96 sq ft. (about 4.5 ft tall), plus extra space under the raised coop. We're adding a much taller covered run that's an additional 160 sq ft, which will be hopefully completed this weekend. The girls get out for free ranging a lot, they're really only in the run when no one is at home. I'm confident there's enough space for all 7 chickens, and the new ones will have their own food and water. I'm just concerned about how to get the big girls to allow the younger ones into the coop at night.

I'm attaching a pic of the inside of the coop (these are not the chicks I have now, this is when it was first built) and the whole setup. The tall structure in the back is the new run.

Thank you for the pictures and clarification. Now I have a much better idea of your set up.

In case the chicks are afraid to enter the dark coop at dusk, you could add a little automatic light for them. Those used for drawers or similar work well.

Fingers crossed and let us know how the integration process goes.

 

[K0k0shka]

Sounds like your coop fits max 8 chickens, in which case you don't need all those roosts. The way they are positioned, they are blocking a lot - including you reaching the back. I'd suggest removing the front roost entirely. That will open up more space, so you can fit the dog crate in. Then you can have the chicks spend the night in the coop in a safe place. I would not leave them in the coop unsupervised with the adults until they have been fully integrated in the run. Not free ranging, where there's more room and they can get out of each other's way, but integrated in the smaller space of the run without the adults cornering or attacking them. Once they are fully integrated in the run and can spend all day there mingling with the adults without incident, then you can start letting them spend the night loose in the coop (not in a crate) as well. The coop is a tight, confined space so it's a higher risk for conflict. Plus, chickens can be very particular about who sleeps where, which often leads to conflict even among integrated flocks.

What you need to also think about is how you will integrate them in the run beyond the crate. The crate is fine for short periods of time, but they can't spend all day there, or the weeks needed to achieve full integration. They need an area where they can walk freely, perch, dust bathe, and engage in a full chicken life while integration is going on. See if you can partition your run with a stretch of chicken wire, and have the chicks spend their days on one side (with food, water and shade/shelter), while the adults can get used to them without being able to get at them. At night, you'd need to move them to the dog crate in the coop (or your house, if you still can't fit the crate in the coop), and then move them back to their run partition during the day.