How to split up coop for new baby chicks

[skittles]

Hi All, I've been reading these forums forever, great info, we are buying 50 new baby chicks but are keeping our original 7, they are 8 yrs old and no way I can part with them. We have found homes for our 4 year olds. I have read that you can separate the new from old in the run while the chicks get old enough but we only have one big coop. If we let the older girls in at night they will fly around and surely give the chicks a hard time. How do ppl manage older ones with baby chicks like this? Any suggestions would be great, thanks a bunch

 

[emys]

I'd build a light frame of 2x2 lumber and chicken wire wall. Since you only need it for a few months, screw it together for easy removal.

 

[newchicksnducks]

Ditto to emys. When I sectioned off my small 8x8 coop, it was to add 3 - 5 babies to an existing flock of 12-14. Seems you'll be adding more babies than old timers.

Leave the roost access to your older birds, as well as some floor room and access to the nest boxes. My "mini-coop" was framed with 2x4 sections that I stapled smaller holed chicken wire to. Each panel was then screwed into the walls, etc to make a little coop within the main coop. It was only 3' tall, so I placed plywood on top so I could have access to feed, water, etc. The first babies were kept there till they were close in size of my older girls, about 14 weeks. The last group of girls were placed w/the main flock at 12 weeks due to injury/bullying in the main flock. Then it became the temporary "chicken jail" for my offender. It worked out well as the offender is my most aggressive bird. With her in confinement, the rest of the flock left the 3 babies alone. By the time a week went past, I was able to re-introduce the aggressive bird to the flock and she was knocked down enough in the heirarchy that there was no major scuffles resulting. Egg production did slow down during this time - there were a lot of changes. I lost the injured bird, the aggressive bird lost her pecking order, new birds were introduced....All is well now!

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I agree, use a smaller cage that can be placed on legs or screwed to the wall--leaving you floor space free for the bigger girls... If they are small chicks, they will need protection from wind/rain/predators (including snakes) so take that into account--That means they will be in the mini coop or divided from the older girls for at least 4 months.. Until they are large enough to take the 'pecking' that will come! I used 1/4" hardward cloth on my mini coop.. and it worked great. And I will use it for any broodies that I might get..or anyone who needs a little alone time... I have also spent the time separating a little area of the run... for them to 'free-ranging".

 

[PunkinPeep]

I have never added 50 all at once, but i can do about 25 in a large cage. Once they're a few weeks old, i put them in a cage in the coop, and they run in the run during the day while the adults free range. A couple of weeks later, i started giving the little ones the option of merging with the big girls, which they do pretty quickly.