First day intergrating chicks.

[WVChickenFarmer]

This morning I decided to try putting my 5 week old chicks with my 9 week old chicks. I have to say it didn't go to bad. I put the dog crate/kennel the 5 week old chicks have been staying in, in the middle of the run. So they would have a place to run and hide from the older chicks. At first I thought I was in trouble because my production red pullet went running toward a chick and grabbed its leg. I ran her off for a second or two and she came back and started scratching and eating with the other chicks. She pecked a few more but she was not to bad after that.

My red sex links did not do to bad a couple of them pecked on the chicks little more. But there was no blood or no one got hurt. Of course I was there watching making sure no one got hurt to bad.

I also want to add my 5 week old chicks have been in the dog crate/kennel aka their brooder for about 2 weeks now inside the coop. I'm not sure if that has anything to with things going fairly well or not.

I have decided I'm not going put the chicks I got Saturday in with the 5 week old chicks now. They are lot bigger and probably hurt the new ones. So I will have go through this again later on.

I did put my 5 week old chicks back in their dog kennel before I came back in. Since I can't be out there with them all day. I'm not sure when it will be ok to leave them together full time?

I'm scared to death if I'm not out their with them one of my older chicks might hurt them pretty badly. But anyways that is my intergrating experience for now.

I do have one question since the older chicks didn't seem to peck the younger chicks to bad. Should I just leave them out together all the time or should I keep the dog kennel inside of the coop still?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sometimes integration goes so smoothly you wonder what all the fuss was about. Sometimes chickens wind up dead. Sounds like you are headed for the first type. Sure hope so.

I'd leave the dog kennel in the coop for now. If it is working, why mess with it?

I find my worst time for integration is bedtime, especially if the younger ones are old enough to roost. Sometimes one or two hens will take it on themselves to be brutal to the young ones on the roost before they totally settle in. It got so bad one time that some young ones that were roosting on the roosts started trying to sleep outside the coop. These were broody raised chicks, fully integrated and used to sleeping on the roosts. But then, other times it has not been a problem. You might be better off if you let the young ones sleep where they are used to for a while, until they learn to get along real well during the day unless you have some reason to rush it.

In the mornings, after they have started sleeping together, I find the young ones on the roosts and the older ones on the ground. The younger ones are trying to stay as far from the older ones as they can. I make it a point the first week or so that they are sleeping tigewther to open that pop door real early so they can get safely away from the older ones.

Good luck!

 

[jtr]

just for more safety i would leave them in the kennel in the run so they can get used to eachother more then about a week after that turn them loose they will be bullied but shouldnt be to bad just my opinion

 

[WVChickenFarmer]

Thanks for your help. I will leave the dog kennel out there then.

It was kind of funny the older chicks were going inside of the dog kennel and the younger chicks were out in the run earlier.

I will let them back out together this evening after it cools down some and when my nephew goes home so I can watch them.

I am surprised it went pretty well this morning. I thought for sure there was going be big time bullying going on.

I'm in no hurry with the process to intergrate them at all. I just hope it continues to go pretty well.

 

[Nicole01]

I'm in the process of integrating. I have ongoing details of my experience in my BYC page. It's not going well, but I see progress everyday. Mornings are the worst when the older peck at the younger ones. Last night they all slept together, it's pitch black in the coop. I have them together supervised. Otherwise, they are separated by a wire dog kennel. I've been putting the older ones in the kennel.

 

[WVChickenFarmer]

Quote:
Nicole- I'm going keep reading on your page and see how your doing with the integrating process. I didn't get go back out this evening to let them out together again since we got a thunder storm.
I'm going try again tomorrow and hopefully it will go as well tomorrow as it did today. I hope it gets better for you.