Yesterday didn't unfold as expected. As I mentioned in my previous posts, we recently set up a smaller enclosure within the main chicken run, complete with roosting rails, feed, water, and ample space. This project was completed yesterday. We have a group of 12 cream legbar chicks, ranging from 6 to 7.5 weeks old, that we're looking to integrate with our three pullets, who are 17 to 18 weeks old. Our older pullets had been reluctant to leave the coop since we rehomed the 9 cockerels, so I was taken aback when they chose to come through the egg box doors instead of the pop-door to meet the newcomers. But that's a separate tale.
In any case, we left the birds to get acquainted and went indoors for a short while. Suddenly, we heard thunder and decided to check on the situation. To our surprise, we found ourselves caught in a heavy downpour accompanied by lightning strikes so close that my son called to ensure our safety.
Our run has never posed issues during bad weather before, and our primary aim was to observe how the chicks would react to the challenging conditions. Unfortunately, they were absolutely terrified. On top of the lightning, the enclosure started filling up with water, a problem we had never encountered before. It seems we made an error when constructing the new enclosure.
In the midst of this chaos, David attempted to place the chicks on the roosting rails to keep them dry, but they were jumping down as quickly as he could lift them up, inadvertently causing a commotion among the other chicks. Meanwhile, the three pullets, who had been avoiding leaving the coop for the past few days, were so concerned about the chicks that I couldn't coax them inside. Consequently, both David and I, along with three hens, found ourselves standing in ankle-deep water.
Eventually, David resorted to placing the chicks in a carrier, and surprisingly, they willingly entered it. I opened the egg boxes and physically guided the hens into the coop. However, they remained perched on the egg box door, watching as we corralled the chicks, refusing to venture further until every single chick was accounted for. The hens seemed more preoccupied with the chicks' well-being than their own comfort.
Ideally, we would have simply placed the chicks directly into the coop. However, the chicks had only seen the older pullets (two 18-week-old australorps and one 19-week-old Ameracauna) through a mesh enclosure, and we were concerned that the older ones might harm the younger ones. Currently, the chicks are temporarily housed on the screened back deck, much to the displeasure of our cats who can't access their catio.
We acknowledge that we need to address the water intrusion issue that arose, but we're unsure at what age it would be safe to introduce the chicks to the run with the older pullets. Our coop is designed for 20 birds, and the run has a capacity for 24 birds, though we currently only have 3. The entire setup is covered, and free-ranging is not an option. Any insights on when it would be appropriate to fully integrate the chicks with the older pullets would be greatly appreciated.
Here are some pictures before the deluge:
In any case, we left the birds to get acquainted and went indoors for a short while. Suddenly, we heard thunder and decided to check on the situation. To our surprise, we found ourselves caught in a heavy downpour accompanied by lightning strikes so close that my son called to ensure our safety.
Our run has never posed issues during bad weather before, and our primary aim was to observe how the chicks would react to the challenging conditions. Unfortunately, they were absolutely terrified. On top of the lightning, the enclosure started filling up with water, a problem we had never encountered before. It seems we made an error when constructing the new enclosure.
In the midst of this chaos, David attempted to place the chicks on the roosting rails to keep them dry, but they were jumping down as quickly as he could lift them up, inadvertently causing a commotion among the other chicks. Meanwhile, the three pullets, who had been avoiding leaving the coop for the past few days, were so concerned about the chicks that I couldn't coax them inside. Consequently, both David and I, along with three hens, found ourselves standing in ankle-deep water.
Eventually, David resorted to placing the chicks in a carrier, and surprisingly, they willingly entered it. I opened the egg boxes and physically guided the hens into the coop. However, they remained perched on the egg box door, watching as we corralled the chicks, refusing to venture further until every single chick was accounted for. The hens seemed more preoccupied with the chicks' well-being than their own comfort.
Ideally, we would have simply placed the chicks directly into the coop. However, the chicks had only seen the older pullets (two 18-week-old australorps and one 19-week-old Ameracauna) through a mesh enclosure, and we were concerned that the older ones might harm the younger ones. Currently, the chicks are temporarily housed on the screened back deck, much to the displeasure of our cats who can't access their catio.
We acknowledge that we need to address the water intrusion issue that arose, but we're unsure at what age it would be safe to introduce the chicks to the run with the older pullets. Our coop is designed for 20 birds, and the run has a capacity for 24 birds, though we currently only have 3. The entire setup is covered, and free-ranging is not an option. Any insights on when it would be appropriate to fully integrate the chicks with the older pullets would be greatly appreciated.
Here are some pictures before the deluge:
