Help! Older chicks rejected by flock

[GordanBombay]

I have 2 month old chicks I need advice about. My flock is bantam NH Reds.

Mom incubated and hatched them. The day after hatch, we relocated them and mom to a secure location inside our barn. This is because she hatched 13 chicks in the spring, but because my husband didn’t get home from work late and the chicks needed to be put manually back in the coop, they were eaten by a predator while waiting for him- it was awful and we didn’t want a repeat.

They were in this location with mom for one month, until they were big enough to fend for themselves a little more. The other hen and rooster that are part of the flock were able to come in the barn at will and see them, smell them, visit, etc. every day. When we first let them outside, we had a barrier for the first two days between them and the other flock members and then they seemed integrated. The first 2 weeks or so they definitely seemed part of the flock.

Now, they are often by themselves in the yard while the 3 adults are together. Mom has attempted to sit on more eggs a few different times but we catch her and collect them. My husband is noticing that the chicks don’t want to go in the coop at night with the adults and that when he is putting them in the hens are beating up on them.

I am looking for advice about where to go from here? Is there a way to encourage integration or is it a lost cause until they’re mature and can defend themselves more and I should house them separately? Is there something I should have done differently earlier in their life?

Thank you for any suggestions and feedback.

 

[Yardmom]

It is normal for younger birds to stay in their own group until about the time they start to lay. Younger birds also seem to go in a bit later than older birds. How much roost space do you have?

 

[GordanBombay]

Thank you, that’s helpful to know.

We currently have 3 adult chickens and the 2 babies. Our coop has roosting space for at least 6 if not a few more bantams. From what we can tell the younger ones are sleeping in the nesting boxes (they’re little still cause of being bantams), rather than roosting.

Do you think this is simply a matter of them needing to put up with being put in their place by the older ladies for a while and that it’s ok to keep housing them with everyone? We put them in the barn tonight in a small kennel together wgeee we have some other birds from a separate flock. We haven’t observed physical injuries on them yet, we were just trying to avoid getting ti that point if it was something that was going to escalate.