How old should chicks be before I start making then sleep in the coop with my existing flock?

[Chickens are life]

View attachment 4046331If they get along during the day , I would try to let them sleep with the adults. There is a chance the adults won’t let them roost on ‘their’ roost.
It ways nice if chickens have a choice to avoid quarrel. Do the juveniles roost now? 8 weeks is old enough. Can you make another roost lower to the ground for the juveniles?

And please add your location (country or state) in your profile. This is very helpful ibfo for people who try to help.

I put them in a small cage on the ground just under the perch so the adults aren't able to get to them. I tried the perch and it ended with the chicks being thrown off the perch. Thanks

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

I put them in a small cage on the ground just under the perch so the adults aren't able to get to them. I tried the perch and it ended with the chicks being thrown off the perch. Thanks

Can you please show pictures of your setup? Fully feathered chicks will roost "with" the flock if there is enough roost space.
Here you can see the pullets (about 10 weeks old) roosted on the near perch with the exception of one right next to the rooster on the rear roost.

They need to have their own space as the hens will drive the youngsters away from them and won't really accept them as flock members until they start to lay.

 

[janiedoe]

Good morning, and welcome to BYC!

 

[RoyalChick]

Welcome to BYC!
As long as they have somewhere to escape to and a place to sleep away from the adults you can have them in the coop.
I brood mine inside the coop after about ten days. I make a chick sized door in the brooder so the babies can come and go but the adults can’t get in.
Good luck with your chicks - I am sure they are adorable.

 

[muddy75]

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Welcome to BYC! Our 8-week olds typically huddle on the floor of the coop for a while before starting to move up to the roosts, sometimes for a couple of weeks. They move to the roosts when they are ready.

 

[BDutch]

…. Fully feathered chicks will roost "with" the flock if there is enough roost space.

This is not always true.

My hens don’t allow juveniles to roost with them. They started this behaviour about 5 years ago and kept shooing away 3 out of 4 juvenile/hatches since. Only once there the space requirements were a bit tight.

This was the reason why I added another coop this year.

 

[DobieLover]

This is not always true.

My hens don’t allow juveniles to roost with them. They started this behaviour about 5 years ago and kept shooing away 3 out of 4 juvenile/hatches since. Only once there the space requirements were a bit tight.

This was the reason why I added another coop this year.

But that's what I wrote. It's also shown in the picture I posted.
They will roost with the flock but in a separate group provided there is enough space to do so.

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC, and good luck with the integration.