Not sure how I got so lucky, but my little five week olds have successfully been integrated into my flock and coop!
This is the third time I've added birds to my flock over the past year and a half, and it's never been this easy (so maybe three's a charm?). I'm attributing the smooth integration to a combination of exposure (the little ones have been going out for several hours since they were a week old thanks to the weather cooperating), having two separate roosting areas, supervision, and my older chickens spending a lot of time free ranging (so space/boredom hasn't come into play). The only time the big girls have paid much attention to the chicks has been when they come back to the run for a feed snack; typically my witch GLW or my little d'uccle would/will run them off a few paces, but nothing serious.
Even better, for the past two nights, the little ones have put themselves to bed in their roost area!! (the first two nights I had to collect them and stick them inside). I am using a lamp for them at night (just 50W), but will do away with it within the next week or two...they're still feathering out. I'm just so relieved, because I expected them to be in a little grow-out coop/pen (just a dog house coop and covered dog run) for at least the next month or so, and now that won't be needed.
Here are the little ones in their roosting area. It was rainy and windy here yesterday, so they were just taking a little indoor roost break I guess...
And here's Xena hanging out on the nest box perch in "The Big Girl" side of the coop (that's June Bug and Joy in the nest boxes). Joy sleeps in the bantam coop, but likes laying her eggs in the big coop
Even better, for the past two nights, the little ones have put themselves to bed in their roost area!! (the first two nights I had to collect them and stick them inside). I am using a lamp for them at night (just 50W), but will do away with it within the next week or two...they're still feathering out. I'm just so relieved, because I expected them to be in a little grow-out coop/pen (just a dog house coop and covered dog run) for at least the next month or so, and now that won't be needed.
Here are the little ones in their roosting area. It was rainy and windy here yesterday, so they were just taking a little indoor roost break I guess...
And here's Xena hanging out on the nest box perch in "The Big Girl" side of the coop (that's June Bug and Joy in the nest boxes). Joy sleeps in the bantam coop, but likes laying her eggs in the big coop
