Integrating bigger chicks to main coop

[Gypsi]

I've been watching their behavior, my little ladies are fully feathered out, I got them Oct 22nd, little Penguin of the crooked beak is growing ok. They still huddle together on the floor of the mini-coop at night, rather than perching. (unless they are cold then they all perch under the heat lamp - but it isn't on unless temps are below 45.) However, I saw Hannah fly down off the greenhouse shelf this morning. I've got the windows cracked so they are ventilated but can't get loose, critical when my dogs are out. So, I can clean up the big coop and add some half steps going up into it - they are 12 inch spaced right now. But when are these pullets moving out with the hens? They are still on chick feed. The hens are on layer and game bird layer feed.

 

[LoveNewChicks]

you got your chicks on october 22 so did I !
we hatched them!
I still have 1 chick her name is popcorn.
how many do you have?

 

[Gypsi]

I have 5 americauna pullets, and they were already starting to feather out when I got them at the feed store - so I am guessing they are 5 weeks old. I have 5 adult hens, 4 production reds, and a black bard rock, almost 2 years old..

I had to chase down the baby pic of the chicks to see when I got them, LOL... The healthy americaunas are: Thelma, Pumpkin, Nutmeg, and Hannah. Penguin is the one with the severely crossed beak. She is gaining weight, I didn't have the heart to put her down, but she is undersized and I had to name the rest so if we lost her, we didn't lose the only chick with a name. As far as I know they are all pullets.

 

[Gypsi]

I'm guessing not soon or my little pullets will be pecked. I've been letting both groups free-range in the yard at the same time, when the dogs are up. Mainly keeping the pullets in the pond area, and the hens fenced outside, but today all were in the pond area. Til my barred rock felt it necessary to go out of her way to peck one of the pullets. I chased her a bit, and the red hen that wanted to peck a pullet, and they decided to go out the gate so I could close it.

I am thinking about using a dog crate to identify the soft egg red and cull her. I have 4 look-alike hens, do I put a dot of spray paint in the center of each one's back (so I don't crate the same hen twice?) For now, I just crumbled eggshell into their feed when I refilled it today. Maybe I can get a few more eggs.

(figured I might as well double-topic, since I seem to be the only one replying to this thread.)

 

[sharol]

Do your chickens interact at all? I had my girls in a separate coop and they stared ranging in the yard with the big girls at about 6 weeks. by the time I put them in together, they were all acquainted. I think they were almost 3 months old before I shut them all in the same run.

 

[Gypsi]

The pullets are about 5 weeks old, and yesterday and today they were in the yard with my hens for the first time.

That 3 month timeline is what I needed.

I am thinking about building another coop and run on another part of my land, so I have a place for all to go if I have to leave overnight for any reason and have someone collect eggs. If the pullets outgrow the greenhouse before they can go in with the big hens, I might move the big hens out of the coop and pen them there. I'm having laying issues with them already. Almost 2 year old production reds. I gather that laying issues are normal by age 2...

 

[sharol]

I went back and checked. The new girls were hatched around May 4 (2011). I put them in with the big girls toward the end of August, so I guess it was closer to 4 months. (actually 3 months, 3 weeks)

They had been in the yard together for about 2 months at that point, and the little girls weren't avoiding the big girls any more. I started putting them out separately but with access to the exterior of the other flock's run. Then when my head chook stopped chest bumping the littler girls' pen, I let them out at the same time.

I was really nervous about the whole thing, but they got along all right, and just today I saw all 11 of them intermingled into a single flock. That took a while. They were segregated on the roosts until last week (by their own choice), but now that they are all laying that seems to have evened the playing field.

Good luck with them. My chickens are pretty mellow, so there hasn't been any bloodshed.

Sharol

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[Gypsi]

Thank you Sharol ! Hopefully the no bloodshed will continue. In the meantime, I think I have a 2nd coop to start on as soon as I can afford materials. hmmm... Those old pallets are looking more and more useful.

Gypsi