I'm sure this has been addressed....

[softtailsweetie]

I am new to this site-just joined today. I have been reading through this forum and have not found exactly what I am looking for so I thought I would just explain my situation and wait for the flood of expertise to pour in

I have 3 established Rhode Islands that are about 2 years old. I have them in a coop/run that I put together out of a converted lean to shed that was attached to my garage when I moved in. I have windows with screens on 3 sides to let in plenty of light and air, a chicken door that I open and close to let them into the fenced in run and to shut them up at night. They have a hanging feeder inside the coop and their water is inside the coop also. I have a walk in door for me to go inside to do what I need to do. I have a 3 level roost that runs across the back of the coop and my dad found an old metal 8 hole nesting box that is attached to the outer wall of the garage, there isn't a whole lot of room in the coop, but plenty. I use the layered bedding method, I just add new bedding to the top of the old when needed and turn it every so often to fluff it up. The floor underneath is dirt. This seems to work well for my girls and gives them extra heat in the winter time, since I do not have any electricity outside of my house without running extension cords (which I do in the winter to keep the coop a little warmer, give them some light in the winter and keep the water from freezing) I get 2-3 eggs a day. I feed commercial layer feed and supplement every morning when I let them out with commercial chicken scratch and occassionally some commercial freeze dried meal worms, they have some oyster shell available too.

I purchased some baby chicks 8 weeks ago from a mail order company. I now have 15 pullets-4 Rhode Islands, 5 Barred Rocks and 6 Black Austrolarps. They are currently housed in my garage within a wire circle that is 4 feet high. They are still on chick starter, have their own water and until today, a heat lamp. I have been leaving the garage door partially open in the daytime to give them fresh air and some sunshine. I rigged up some poles for them to roost on and they seem pretty happy being chicks and doing there thing. This morning when I went in there to feed and water them, one of the little stinkers had flown the coop so to speak and was sitting on top of my lawn mower looking very much befuddled! I want to move them to the coop with the big girls, but is it too soon? They are feathered out, their combs are growing etc... but they are still smaller than the older birds. I don't have alot of money to put up a seperate housing structure/run for them at this time, since I have been unemployed for a year.
I also wonder if they need to stay on the chick starter for awhile yet, and I move them to the coop, how do I keep everyone from eating the others feed? Should I take some of the litter from the coop and sprinkle it around with the baby chicks, to "innoculate" them a bit with anything before moving them together? Should I move them all in at night,(I've heard that is a good way to do it, after the older birds go to roost) or start with the bigger ones and slowly move them in a few at a time? I just need some advice! Thanks

 

[CorralitosSunflower]

If you just stick them in with the older birds you are certain to get some scuffles. Generally the recommendations I have used for integrating chickens is putting the younger birds in the coop with a wire barrier so everyone can size each other up without inflicting any harm. During the day if you freerange your birds I would let them all freerange together. This will give them an opportunity to establish pecking order while still giving everyone the ability to get away if need be. I would let them be in the coop with a barrier and freeranging during the day together for a couple weeks prior to removing the barrier and than keeping a close watch. Also, 18 is a lot of birds, so how big is your coop and run?

 

[Imp]

I agree with Nayana.
I would add that I would wait till the chicks are close to the same size as the hens before integrating, but I realize with 15 that's a problem. When you do integrate watch closely for anything beyond scuffling. Chickens can be mean and may hurt or kill chicks. And putting them in at night may help. I don't think adding them in slowly a few at a time is not a good idea, might just drag out the process for longer.

Good luck

Imp

 

[SilkieTime]

I would keep the chicks on starter till they lay an egg. Might need some grit.
Oh

from TN

 

[Amyable]

softtail, is there any way you can reinforce the temp coop where the little ones are and switch the birds? I mean put the 15 growing chicks in the larger area until they are big enough to be safely mixed with the older ones, and put the 3 grown birds in the smaller area. Does that make sense? Then maybe the space issue wouldn't be much of a problem.

 

[yotetrapper]

No, not slowly a few at a time. Freeranging together is a great idea. And when you do lock them up together, be sure to do it on a nice day when you will be home ALL DAY. This is what I do, and since I hatch so many chicks I'm notorious for combining them too soon.... I have several pens in my maiin runs, but none are reserved for new chickens. I have a main mixed pen (biggest and most chickens) and three breeder pens. I pick one of the breeder pens to put the youngsters in. I do this because there's less chickens in those pens, so you have that advantage, of only three hens.., what I would do is this..
IF you already freerange, let your youngsters free range with your hens for perhaps a week, putting them back in their own pen for the night. Then, when your home on the weekend, lock em in witb the hens. Now, if you don't freerange already, I would try just putting them in with the hens. 15 teenagers SHOULD overwhelm 3 hens and keep the pecking down. But, here's the big thing, make sure you'll be home all day and then check on them every half hour without fail. Make sure no chick is hiding, or bloody. Stand where you can watch without being right in there and see what the three hens do. Keep checking on them all day. Look for isolated chicks. What you SHOULD see is your young chicks being more or less together, and your old hens seperate and ignoring them. Keep checking on them up until dark. If no serious pecking has occured, make sure the young ones go in the coop at night. They'll most likely sleep on the floor in a pile. That's normal. Check on them once about an hour after you put them in. You should find them in a pile on the floor and the hens on the roosts. Now leave them alone for the night, but check on them early the next morning, and periodically throughout the day. Once the second day is over, with no bloody chicks, you should be good to go.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This might help in what to feed and when.

Oregon State - Feeding Chickens
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/pnw/pnw477/#anchor1132074

I find this to be a great integration article.

Buff Hooligan’s Adding to your flock
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock

I do take dirt from the older chickens area and give it to the chicks to eat when they are very young. That is the best time to help them get the immunity they need from cocci. As long as you keep the brooder fairly dry the cocci usually does not overwhelm them, they get the immunity they need while they are young enough to get it, and everything is fine. You do need to watch them to make sure they do not need some medical care, but you should be doing that anyway and they are easier to watch in the brooder than in the coop.

Good luck!!!

 

[Gonda]

I posted a similar question (under "raising baby chicks") about how to make sure the big hens don't eat the chicks' feed when you integrate them. This is the answer I got: "build a wire enclosure and make the opening(s) only about 6 inches tall so only the chicks can get into the feed/water... I'd also make sure the adult food was either hung or up on bricks or whatever so that the chicks can't get into that, as layer feed isn't good for chicks (lower protein level/calcium)". Hope that helps.

 

[Kittymomma]

I think you already have good advice for integrating. As far as the feed goes, I'd just put everyone on flockraiser and put oyster shell out free choice. Everybody gets what they need and you don't have to stress out trying to keep them out of each others food. Good luck.

 

[Gonda]

Is flockraiser the same as chickstarter? Is that not a problem for the layers to have the same feed as the chicks?