I finally decided some of my 22 girls and 3 boys were ready to go to the coop. I put em in at night so there would be less aggression towards my little girls and boys. I also employed my idea of putting something in with them to hide from the bigger girls and boy that they can only fit into the door with. I also put their food and a waterer in with them. Gonna be a good night Got a few girls too small to go out there yet and some of the ones in there I think are questionable but I gotta get them in there sometime. I sure hope everything goes well. Does anyone know of anyone that had all their or a majority of their chicks die from the larger girls? I hope that is an open ended question. If not please let me know. I am new to this whole introduction to the flock thing. I bought my larger girls as larger girls.
I am in that same process right now!! At night they are all fine together, and during the day the two younger keep clear of the four bigger ones. Tonite, I closed the barn door (where the two usually go to bed) so they had no choice and they did go into the coop with the big girls!! So for me it is working out well. Yours will probably do the same thing, just stay clear if any pecking goes on, good that you have a hiding area for them.
thanks i will. I put 16 of my girls in today, actually this evening. okay 13 3 are my roos in training. Gotta have em too if I want to breed em later in life.
I have built a pen withing the coop with cinder blocks and baby safe chicken wire. My bigger hens march up and down on the wall inspecting the babies (what I call their prison guard routine) and then gradually I oen up the prison yard (for a few minues while I am doing feeding and watering at first) so the big ones are used to the little ones by the time they come out. As they start to share the feeder there is usually some aggression (generally the hen at the bottom of the pecing order is the most aggressive- not wanting to be last in the new pecking order. But I have never lost a baby due to aggression (but none of my hens is super mean to begin with- so that could make a difference). I would say just keep an eye out and expect some pecking but if it is getting out of hand add a feeder or new feeding location to reduce competition/remove the agressive hen. Good luck!
How old are your chicks? Mature hens can peck and easily kill new chicks in the coop as they ae seen as intruders/interlopers, competig fot food and water. Introduction of new chicks can shake up the hen house and disrupt the pecking order. New additions should be big enough in size, old enough in age to fight back and protect themselves from all of the attacks that will come. New chickens in the coop can be bullied and starved. It is usually around 16 weeks they can begin to defend themselves.
When I had a roo, we build a "batchelors" pad, now no roo we refer to it as the queens quarters. Its a 2'x2' wire and wood "cage" built above the roosts with a lock and door. Basicly when I have a hen that needs to be mainstreamed, I put her up there so they can see her and not be so apt to beat on her while in with the others. After 2 days we let her loose with the GP and still need to make pecking order with her. Good luck and they will eventually be part of the family.
