Help!

[msacco711]

We put our younger chickens and ducks in with our older chickens and the older chickens will not let the younger ones in the coop at night and if the younger ones do go in, they are attacked. They have roamed together in the yard for several months and were in separate pens that butted up to each other. I’m afraid my 2 younger ones will freeze to death because the older ones won’t let them in the coop where the heat lamps are. What do I do?

 

[DobieLover]

How old are the younger chickens and how old are the older chickens? How big is the coop? Are the younger ones laying yet?

 

[msacco711]

How old are the younger chickens and how old are the older chickens? How big is the coop? Are the younger ones laying yet?

My older chickens are about 4-5 years old and my younger ones are 6 months old and are laying. They have a large coop. See pics.

 

[DobieLover]

How many chickens and what size is the coop? From the picture it looks like it might be a 4'x8'? What does the interior look like?

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

Have you tried sneaking them in after the rest have already gone to roost? That's how I do new birds after the look but dont touch meet and greet and free ranging in the yard. But I have a wall that divides my roost and nesting area so I let the little ones sleep over there till they can hold their own against the adults.

 

[msacco711]

How many chickens and what size is the coop? From the picture it looks like it might be a 4'x8'? What does the interior look like?

I have a total of 5 hens, 1 rooster and 2 ducks. It has 2 big nesting boxes on each end and is huge, especially compared to what they had before. It also has a roosting bar across the length of the coop. Not sure how big it is but I know it’s more than double the size of their old one. The older hens will lay in the doorway and not let the younger ones in. My daughter said that she put one of the younger ones in this morning because she was so cold and that the older ones attacked her and her crest was bleeding

 

[msacco711]

Have you tried sneaking them in after the rest have already gone to roost? That's how I do new birds after the look but dont touch meet and greet and free ranging in the yard. But I have a wall that divides my roost and nesting area so I let the little ones sleep over there till they can hold their own against the adults.

We may have to do that but that means turning the heat lamps off until they are used to each other because it lights up the whole coop.

 

[DobieLover]

We may have to do that but that means turning the heat lamps off until they are used to each other because it lights up the whole coop.

Why are you running heat lamps if your younger birds are fully feathered? That should be completely unnecessary. Running heat lamps after the birds no longer need them will not allow them to acclimate to the normal temperatures. Birds do just fine in cold weather provided they have a place to get out of the wind and their coop has really good ventilation. I would remove those lamps.
Let it get dark in the coop. That will settle the birds. Try to slip the younger ones in after dark and be back at the coop before dawn to deal with any aggression issues if they arise.

 

[msacco711]

We always put heat lamps in there because it gets so cold out

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

How cold is it there at night that you have heat lamps on? I never use them. We use good insulation and their natural heat. And I live in central Illinois its gets fracking cold here.