I need to know everything ABOUT INTEGRATION

[Tonyroo]

I placed my 1 week olds in the coop to start integration, plus I got tired of the chick dandruff in the house. So far so good, except when Goldie my blue Swedish pops in she shrieks at the them but she's normally the loud mouth in my flock. So it's to be expected.

There 2 1/2 weeks old here.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I have had my littles out in the coop since they were 6 weeks, others have them or there when they are just days old(with heat of course until they are fully feathered) At 7 weeks old your littles should be fully feathered. Do you have pics of them?

Hard to get pics

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Should we take away the heat lamp for a week?

 

[aart]

Should we take away the heat lamp for a week?

If you can't put a heater out in their coop,
then yes they should be weaned off the heat before moving outside.
Slowly reduce heat daily, open a window in the brooder room to lower the ambient temps.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

If you can't put a heater out in their coop,
then yes they should be weaned off the heat before moving outside.
Slowly reduce heat daily, open a window in the brooder room to lower the ambient temps.

Its around 20 in the brooder and the lamp turns off in the night. The window is open during the day but not in the afternoon/night.
Hopefully outside will warm up a bit

 

[aart]

Its around 20 in the brooder and the lamp turns off in the night.

20°C?
If they don't need heat during the night they don't need it during the day.
Leave the windows open day and night, it will be good for them.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

20°C?
If they don't need heat during the night they don't need it during the day.
Leave the windows open day and night, it will be good for them.

I can take away the heat lamp but can't open the windows at night, may be good for them, but not for me!
They are playing outside now

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Chicks were playing outside today when our smallest chick, Blue, encountered Fries the hen. There were no pecks or aggression when they started jumping around while keeping eye contact and "pretending" to peck each other. Blue backed off and joined her friends. What does this mean?

 

[PippinTheChicken]

a while later, Kiwi (second oldest) encountered Fries. Fries pecked her on the head and they started jumping around each other, pecking and squawking. They didn't finish the fight because my dog got in the way and Fries ran off. The chickens didn't injure each other.
Why did Fries fight Kiwi but not Blue?

 

[cmom]

They will do that for whatever reason. I agree with most of the posts, keep them close but separated for awhile and when you do introduce them to your others try it at night when they're roosting. No matter what you do they will still establish a new pecking order. I raise a lot of birds. Currently I have 200 grown and 50 chicks with another 200 eggs in the incubator. I deal with this a lot. Good luck and have fun...