Integrating chicks into flock at 4 weeks old.

[aart]

Perfect timing for me to find this post! Thanks, @aart !

Question: You say a broody mama that hatches her own babies will do it all?

I was planning on using a temporary wall that will encompass the nesting box they will hatch in as well as the adjoining nest box (to put their food and water in) with some open floor space in front of both nesting boxes. The other girls and my roo will be "with" them but no the other side of the temporary wall at roosting time and when the other ladies go to lay their eggies. They don't go into the coop for any other reason. Should I go with my plan or just let well enough alone from minute of hatch with no temporary wall?

I put broody behind that wall too, I find it easier to deal with and have limited nests .
Then I take wall down about 2-3 weeks after hatch....leaving her floor nest for shelter and creep feeder area for the chicks. Mama will get in some fights, but chicks are rarely targeted and things are usually calmed down within a day or two.

 

[bruceha2000]

I had Zorra raise the 2015 chicks from a couple of days old. They had a separate area in the coop at ground level and a "private" door into the communal run (barn alley). The older girls got out when the sun came up and the auto door opened. Zorra and the chicks had to wait for me to let them out. At 2 weeks she said "HECK WITH THIS" and moved them to a nest box 2' off the ground with a "staging bar" at about 18".

Zorra protected the chicks from all comers for 2 months, then kicked them to the curb. Not even the top of the flock Anconas dared get within 5' of Zorra or the babies and if they needed to get past waited until she was looking the other way and they RAN. Zorra is a Black Australorp but I think off the chart on "average size". When she flared her feathers she was HUGE.

 

[MaryZoe]

My hens are the only wall I use for my broodies. The mama hens are a formidable wall, let me tell you! At the moment I have 5 mama hens with a total of 15 bitties from 1 - 3 weeks old running around my chicken yard. I have 2 roosters and almost 20 other hens with them. No one messes with the bitties, and only they seem to be able to distinguish which chick belongs to which mama hen. It is adorable. When I go out there, I have to watch where I walk to avoid stepping on one of them. I would have had more chicks, but I removed most of the eggs from the broody hens. I don't want more chickens, but I like nature to take its course (to a degree!). If you have time and energy to create and monitor temporary walls for separation, I'm sure they can't hurt. But if you're super busy and the your chicken yard has ample space and food, let mom do her job and forget the divider.

 

[gator75]

I think the common theme is that the more chickens you have in the flock, the easier it is to integrate new birds.

 

[aart]

If you have time and energy to create and monitor temporary walls for separation, I'm sure they can't hurt. But if you're super busy and the your chicken yard has ample space and food, let mom do her job and forget the divider.

I mostly segregate the broody due to limited number of nests,
and frankly it prevents other problems with a broody in with the main flock.
Wall comes down when chicks are 2-3 weeks old...then, yes, broody mama does her job of protecting chicks as they integrate. The wall is easy to put up and down, and it actually reduces the monitoring needed during incubation.

I think the common theme is that the more chickens you have in the flock, the easier it is to integrate new birds.

That can be true...if you have lots of space too.

 

[fargosmom]

Wow! What a great and timely article. I had been pondering this very thing a few days ago. I have babies that are just about 4 weeks, and I'm tired of having them in my kitchen So I had been thinking about experimenting with this. It's been in the 50's at night though. I was worried about it getting too cold for them. I have a heat lamp (ceramic bulb) but no heating pad. Would that be enough for them? They're still not quite fully feathered . . . .

 

[aart]

Would that be enough for them?

You'd have to test the ceramic heat 'bulb' out in the coop. I've found them to not spread a wide or varied enough heat area, very hot right under and cooling quickly out towards circumference. the cooler ambient temps outside might skew that.

Also note, the chicks were in the coop for 3 weeks before I let them into the main coop with the flock. Tho I integrate early, I still follow the main integration basics...
Integration Basics:
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.

 

[gator75]

You'd have to test the ceramic heat 'bulb' out in the coop. I've found them to not spread a wide or varied enough heat area, very hot right under and cooling quickly out towards circumference. the cooler ambient temps outside might skew that.

Also note, the chicks were in the coop for 3 weeks before I let them into the main coop with the flock. Tho I integrate early, I still follow the main integration basics...
Integration Basics:
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.

This is a great post. I put a mini coop inside the large coop/run for a week. I let them into a large fenced area in the evenings together. After over a week, I removed the mini coop and put in a temp. barrier with holes for the chicks to get in and out. Turns out the two large hens can get into it. At first I was worried, but it turned out great. WHen the big hens go in that small area to eat their food and water, the pullets get the big coop to themselves and eat from the big feeder and waterer. It's been about 2.5 weeks and yesterday was the first time I saw all 5 chickens in the common area together. Progress is slow, but it will happen. Hope to remove the temporary barrier next week.

My coop inside a coop setup.

 

[kd_colorado]

I am curious. I have 11 chicks who are 10 weeks old. 3 EE, 3 Cinnamon Queens, 2 RIR, 2Speckled Sussex, and one Light Bramha. They've been in their coop for three weeks now. Only a few have figured out the roost but anyhow. I am so ready to put the rest of my chicks out as soon as this storm/snow passes .They are 5 weeks old and fully feathered and taking over the room they are in. 3 EE, 4 Light Bramhas, 2 RIR one of which is a rooster, and 2 Cinnamon Queens. All the ranchers where I live say just to put them out that they will figure it out. Back in the day farmers did not separate or integrate their flocks. I don't have the materials or money to build a separate coop and the run is 894 square feet. Any suggestions how I can do this with minimum stress?

 

[aart]

Any suggestions how I can do this with minimum stress?

I suggest you start a new thread here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/managing-your-flock.2/create-thread
Title it "Integrating different age groups of chicks" and pasting your post above and also adding some info and pics about the size of your coop.