Integrating Chicks With 2 Older Girls

[sellersV]

We have 12 chicks that will be 8 weeks next week and are feathered out.They have been moved
to the coop with a divider between them and the 2 older girls.They have been able to see but not touch . But they are beginning to outgrow their area quickly. My question is when can we try to introduce the chicks and let them out in the run with the other 2 ,and remove the divider .

 

[CluckerFamily]

It truly depends on the flock. You could see what happens under supervision and be ready to intervene if anything goes bad.
I normally do the see but no touch for 2-3 weeks. Some people do it for a shorter amount of time.
You may want to add things inside the run for the little ones to hide or get up on to get away from the older ladies.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are in Georgia and they are 8 weeks old so the weather should not be a factor. You've done see but don't touch for two weeks. How big, in feet, is your coop? How big, in feet, is your run? When do they have access to that run? Photos showing how everything is set up could be very helpful to know what you have to work with.

I find that my juveniles tend to avoid the adults until they mature enough to force their way into the pecking order, usually around the time they start to lay. Until then they form a sub-flock, avoiding the adults day and night. If you have enough room so they can avoid the adults day and night you probably won't have many, if any, issues. If room is tight it can be dangerous.

We can give you generic suggestions. Give them as much space as possible, clutter up that space so they have things to hide under, behind, or over to break line of sight, and set up widely separated feeding and watering spaces so they can eat and drink without conflict. We'd need to know what you have to work with to get any more specific than that.

Good luck!

 

[sellersV]

Thank you, that’s kind of what I thought too.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If they don't have access to that 900 square feet area when they need it then it doesn't count. If they have access it is great. When do they have access?

8 x16 will probably be OK once they are integrated. Until they are integrated it could be pretty small. 16 feet isn't that much distance if it is a line of sight distance. How is that coop/run area laid out? A photo might really help.

 

[Yardmom]

With 12 chicks and only 2 older hens chances are it won't take long for them to settle in. Put them together and see how it goes.

 

[sellersV]

With 12 chicks and only 2 older hens chances are it won't take long for them to settle in. Put them together and see how it goes.

Thank you I think that’s what we will do, we will just watch to see how it goes .

 

[Ridgerunner]

So that enclosed coop section is probably 4' x 8'. Not that big, I can see why the young ones are outgrowing their area in it.

The way I'd approach it is to let the young ones loose in the morning when you are going it be around to check on them occasionally. Then be patient. I'd assume the older ones will go outside and pretty much stay there all day where you are. At first the young ones will probably hang around inside, maybe even for a day or two. As long as no one is getting hurt I'd leave them alone and try to let them work it out. What I normally see at that age is the two different ages don't mingle that much if at all. The older ones go wherever they please while the younger ones go somewhere else. Anywhere else. They try to avoid the older ones. It might help to add some more clutter, something that better blocks the line of sight in the run. But don't be too surprised to see the chicks in the coop section when the adults are outside. Or in the run when the adults are inside. You don't have a lot of room for them to avoid the others.

It will be interesting to see what happens at night when it is time to go to bed. The chicks may try to go to bed in the coop but don't be surprised if they want to stay outside. Two different things could cause that. When I move mine to my elevated grow-out coop they tend to sleep outside on the ground under the pop door even if they have spent a week or two housed inside. I think it's because until they start to roost they like to sleep low and in a group. I don't have that issue with my coop at ground level. Thanks for the photo, by the way.

The other reason could be that they are afraid of the older birds. If they invade their personal space they might get pecked. Occasionally you see some older birds actively intimidating younger ones by keeping them out of the coop altogether, especially small coops like yours. That's another reason you often need more space for integration than for them to live together after integration. It takes room inside and out for the younger ones to avoid the older. Whichever is the case don't be surprised to see the younger ones wanting to sleep on the ground, probably under the poop door.

You have options. If you feel your run is predator-proof you can just let them sleep outside in the run. In Georgia at that age they can handle it. If you don't feel it is OK for them to sleep outside then after it is too dark for the older ones to attack them, lock them inside. I'd just toss them on the coop floor, they will be OK. I don't know what the inside of your coop looks like, my juveniles usually will not sleep on the main roosts with the adults until the pullets start to lay. I don't care where mine sleep as long as I consider it predator safe and it is not the nests. If you do lock them in overnight be out there at the crack of dawn to see how they are getting along in that small coop until you are comfortable they will be OK. My coop is three times the size of yours and I still check when I do something like that though it has never really been a problem.

I consider your coop and run small for integration. But try it. Sometimes these things go a lot better than we ever expect. Sometimes it is that easy even if you don't follow all the so-called rules on this forum. But sometimes it does not work out well. I wish you luck.

 

[BleuSaphir]

Transitioning new one to existing older flock has been the most stressful for me of owning chicken. Especially when the older flock is 2 times or more older than new chicks.

I would keep the divider in place for protection. Put them together out in the yard and see how they interact.

 

[sellersV]

Yes I am a little stressed for sure, my older girls are pretty chill but you just don’t know . I thought about just letting them out into just the run not the yard ,but not sure if that would give them less area to hide