Integrating chicks into flock at 4 weeks old.

[aart]

I have 5 12 week old buffs, is it ok to introduce them to my exsiting flock of 8 mature Rhode Island reds? There has been little interaction between the 2 breeds. If not a good idea, what's the best course of action. THANKS

This thread is about integrating at a much younger age(4 wks)....
...12 weeks old need a totally different technique.

It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, tho some info is outdated IMO:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[Blooie]

I copied an idea from @azygous when I started outdoor brooding a couple of years ago. For the first few batches of chicks I was just propping one side of the brooder open just large enough for the chicks and too small for the Bigs to follow them in. But if you've ever seen panicked chicks, you know they'll sometimes run back and forth like little carnival game ducks in a shooting gallery and never find exactly where they got out. When she started brooding outdoors as well, she came up with the portal system and I stole it immediately! What an improvement over what I had been doing!

The portal doors I copied totally eliminated that. Because there are two of them, one on the end and one on the side, they can head for whichever is closer. And because the little wood frame stands out so clearly from the wiring, it's a "right-now" visual clue to them - they don't have to stand there and study what they should do. This has been a brilliant solution for me and all of my subsequent batches of chicks. The beauty to me is that our brooder pen is portable - it's a big dog exercise pen that folds accordion style when not in use and tucks away. We have hardware cloth fastened to the bottom of the pen. We just cut our door holes in, framed them with cheap leftover wood, made a plywood flap with a hook and eye lock, and we were done. When the brooder is put away, we just fold it - hardware cloth, doors and all. It doesn't fold quite as flat as it once did, but it's still flat enough to stand upright in the garage without taking up making much space. So once the brooder pen is built, it never has to be built again. Love that!

Hope it's okay that I jumped in, @aart....I saw the posts talking about doors and since I love this system so much, it's so easy to build, and is a one time shot, I thought I'd share.

 

[aart]

How big are your doors @Blooie ?
I had trouble with size and made mine adjustable...
...you know how I like 'adjustable'.

 

[azygous]

Recently someone asked my advice on adapting a wire dog kennel as a panic room. I told them there's no need to try to cut portals into it. As long as the cage has no bottom, you may simply elevate it a few inches off the ground with bricks or 2 x 4s, adding height as the chicks grow, but still keeping the gap narrow enough so the large chickens can't fit under it.

This would be even safer for the chicks than portals since they can scoot under at any point along the perimeter of the panic room. And you don't wreck your kennel by cutting holes into the sides, maintaining its integrity for its original purpose.

 

[aart]

Recently someone asked my advice on adapting a wire dog kennel as a panic room. I told them there's no need to try to cut portals into it. As long as the cage has no bottom, you may simply elevate it a few inches off the ground with bricks or 2 x 4s, adding height as the chicks grow, but still keeping the gap narrow enough so the large chickens can't fit under it.

This would be even safer for the chicks than portals since they can scoot under at any point along the perimeter of the panic room. And you don't wreck your kennel by cutting holes into the sides, maintaining its integrity for its original purpose.

I like the raised edge idea, was going to try it with my wall, but bedding was too deep and of variable depths....so went with adjustable doors, 3 of them.

 

[Blooie]

How big are your doors @Blooie ?
I had trouble with size and made mine adjustable...
...you know how I like 'adjustable'.

Oh, I was so afraid you were going to ask that question. You know how precise and accurate I always try to be when doing something like this. I guess the inner measurement of the doorway would be about 5 inches wide and 6 inches tall? Shoot, I dunno....we just put a piece of wood up against our smallest hen and marked it then cut the rest. If she couldn't get in, the bigger ones sure couldn't. I know, I know. Blooied all the way. Adjustable works, and you have that stuff down to a science. If I was that smart that's what I would have done, but I figured they'd be done with the brooder and the brooder taken out by the time they are four weeks old, so if the chicks had to suck in their breaths to pop in and out for a few days it was no big deal.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I love the escape hatch idea! Unfortunately, I don't think that would be something I could do at the moment.

Mine are 7 weeks now and have been outside in the grow out pen right next to the adults for about 4+ weeks. Most of the adults show no interest at all in the chicks unless it's "treat time". Adults get theirs first, but do wander over to check out what the chicks get, HOGS that they are

Only one hen seems to want to get at them occasionally, low girl in the pecking order, she seems to be itching to move up in the world. I have a feeling by the time I integrate most of the "new" chickens will put her in her place, but who know. These babies seem to be very confident.

I still have to rearrange the roosting in the main coop I know, it should already be done so I want my adults to be settled with that before I let the littles to roost with them.

Hopefully, I'll get it all fixed this week, so over the next couple of weeks I can start letting the littles into the bigs runs and see how it goes.

 

[Blooie]

Recently someone asked my advice on adapting a wire dog kennel as a panic room. I told them there's no need to try to cut portals into it. As long as the cage has no bottom, you may simply elevate it a few inches off the ground with bricks or 2 x 4s, adding height as the chicks grow, but still keeping the gap narrow enough so the large chickens can't fit under it.

This would be even safer for the chicks than portals since they can scoot under at any point along the perimeter of the panic room. And you don't wreck your kennel by cutting holes into the sides, maintaining its integrity for its original purpose.

@azygous NO say it ain't so!!!! The portal doors were brilliant! An inspiration to me and many! We swear by them!! Saying you don't believe they are necessary with wire dog crates anymore is like Santa Claus saying there is no Santa Claus!!! I brag them up (giving you credit, of course) all the time because they are so easy to do and hard to beat! I'm crushed...perhaps beyond all repair....

 

[aart]

Size Matters....with chicks, hens, and escape doors.
I started with @azygous's 5x7, but one of my slimmer hens got right thru.
She could get thru a 4" width, just kept adjusting until she could not get thru, think I ended up at 3.5 to start..plenty big for 4 weeks chicks.

 

[azygous]

Blooie, too much change for you is shifting your magnetic poles. Go take a deep breath and have another cup of strong tea.