Hens wont accept 3week old chicks

[Ponypoor]

Hi, don’t worry this doesn’t offend me at all. I’m very new to this and have always wanted to get them outside as soon as possible, things online just made me worried at what might happen. I think people vary the dates they put them outside due to people having different temperatures in different parts of the world. I’d love to have them outside full time but my only issue is them being bullied by the older flock. However, in their little outdoor place I made they did just fine last night

I was thinking of your situation and thought since u r in a milder climate a hoop coop might be an option. U can research how to do one online. But they r easy to do and inexpensive.

I got the 'what if I do this' bug and was thinking I would use small ones to cover my rhodedendrons this winter but one could easily make some small ones for the chicks to escape to also.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Can you section off part of the run for them? I brood my chicks in the coop and have had them fully integrated by 3-4 weeks but 1) my older girls see them from day 1 and 2) I think I have snowflake hens because they've never attacked any chicks. Depending on the weather (which is usually pretty warm as I live in west Texas and have chicks in the summer) I will put the chicks in the sectioned off run around 2.5-3 weeks. After a week or so I open a little flap so the chicks can go in and out but the big girls can't. Has worked with 4 sets of chicks so far.

 

[Lizzy733]

A few notes on red bulbs - if they get wet, they will shatter. They can also shatter in general, but less likely to occur randomly. They only provide directional heat and the area will cool quickly if they go out.

They can get extremely hot and should be used with a temp probe under to ensure they don't get too hot. Ideally, they are used with a thermostat or dimmer. The former and they're more likely to burn out (but not shatter).

Any heat bulb device should be used in a ceramic fixture and, ideally, in a heat cage as well to prevent contact burns.

Some bulb alternatives would be:

IR Deep Penetrating Heat bulb Arcadia - expensive, but nice and long lasting, kinda a combination of radial and directional heat. Not likely to blow or burn out on a dimmer or thermostat.

Ceramic heat bulb -
Radial heat - slow to warm up - slow to cool down too. Very unlikely to shatter or blow out. Won't blow on a dimmer or thermostat.

I've been keeping reptiles for years so am acquainted with many heat sources. Personally, I am using a caged ceramic on a thermostat.

 

[dennisma1]

I didn't see where you lived and let's face it we all have to make do at times.. its fine for now for two chicks. My hens free range so diff situation but I don't normally let chicks in with adults until they are pretty big. I also just use a dog crate for chicks. I can move it around to the yard or to the run or to the house depending on weather.

 

[Ponypoor]

I didn't see where you lived and let's face it we all have to make do at times.. its fine for now for two chicks. My hens free range so diff situation but I don't normally let chicks in with adults until they are pretty big. I also just use a dog crate for chicks. I can move it around to the yard or to the run or to the house depending on weather.

A large crate works great, I keep my silkie Cochin X and her chickies in that, they r 2 an half weeks old now an I have been letting them out supervised with the herd. Mummy is a good girl and keeps everyone away. I noticed yesterday that they were all just eating an scratching around together in the barn. But I still keep them separate if I am not supervising. Mostly because I am paranoid the chicks will get somewhere that they can't get out of!.

I lock them in a stall for the day, they have a blast digging in shavings and picking at horse poop hahaha. When they get cold they huddle under mum, or the brooder plate, smart chickies!

But back in the crate for the night.

 

[FC16]

Update: they’re now around 4 1/2 weeks old, he chicks are now able to be outside all day with the hens without being killed. There’s the occasional peck or chase o but nothing serious. At night I’ve tried putting them with the hens but that’s a bit too far for the older ones to cope with, so I keep the chicks into the sectioned but until they’re big enough to hold there own. Still not quite there but it’s progress

 

[Ponypoor]

Update: they’re now around 4 1/2 weeks old, he chicks are now able to be outside all day with the hens without being killed. There’s the occasional peck or chase o but nothing serious. At night I’ve tried putting them with the hens but that’s a bit too far for the older ones to cope with, so I keep the chicks into the sectioned but until they’re big enough to hold there own. Still not quite there but it’s progress

You should post some pics we all love seeing the babies!

 

[Morrigan]

Update: they’re now around 4 1/2 weeks old, he chicks are now able to be outside all day with the hens without being killed. There’s the occasional peck or chase o but nothing serious. At night I’ve tried putting them with the hens but that’s a bit too far for the older ones to cope with, so I keep the chicks into the sectioned but until they’re big enough to hold there own. Still not quite there but it’s progress

It sounds like you are getting everything sorted out and the chicks are starting to integrate. When I integrate 3 to 4 week old chicks, I start by doing as you have done, and put them in a sectioned off part of the coop. Then, anywhere from 5 to 10 days after that (depends on the chicks, weather, and attitude of the hens), I move the barrier so there is enough space for the chicks to squeeze in and out, but the hens can't get in. The chicks then figure out how to come and go as needed to escape the attentions of the older chickens. After about another week or two of that, I remove the barrier.

Having plenty of space, multiple feeding and watering stations and various baffles and barricades that the chicks can hide behind helps a lot.

I usually watch very closely during the integration to make sure things are OK. It's been my experience that although the majority of hens may chase, harass or peck at chicks, they only do as much as is needed to clearly put the chicks "in their place" in the pecking order. There is a lot of running and screeching by the chicks to be sure, and occasionally a hard peck by a hen, but I've never had a chick killed or hurt. Only once have I had a hen who took her behavior far enough to the point where I thought she might be danger to the chicks, and I culled that hen, because I don't consider that normal or acceptable behavior.