i integrated mine the same way you are going about it too....about 6-8 weeks i placed the Chicken Wire Crate inside the House at Night, then left it there so Littles would have more familiar refuge...it worked...took Crate out altogether bout week later. There will always be Pecking Order....ours wasn't upsetting....uh....now i have Momma Cuckoo Maran with her week old Baby Chickie and im at a Loss for when to place them with the Flock....its s'posed to be easier with Momma...apparently.....
The run being so narrow is a problem. You really need some clutter to break up the space but it's going to be difficult with the width - look for items with smaller footprints like kid size patio furniture or things that could lean against the fence, like a pallet. Do you ever let the older girls out in your yard? Might want to try letting the older ones out, and letting the chicks explore the run and coop unmolested, so they can familiarize themselves with it.
Yes, the older ones free range most of the time in our yard and the past couple of weeks the babies have been in the playpen during the day so they do know each other. Today I had them all out together for about an hour. I was nervous but mostly the big girls ignored the little ones. There were a few skirmishes but nothing bad. The most intense was when all 6 were in the playpen together eating food that had spilled! The littles were fast and got out! Then tonight I let the littles out with the bigs put up in the coop. Just to roam without worry. Because I could tell they were not quite as comfortable as before the hour with the big girls. I am feeling hopeful. We are raising our 7 year old grandson and yes we do have small chairs I can turn over in the run. What a good idea! I’ll do a little more each day.
Do you have a picture of the chicken wire crate and where exactly did you put it? Sounds like a good idea! Great to hear it worked for you at young ages!
Thank you! I have a flock of 2 year old hens and some brand new babies I purchased at Tractor Supply. This was very helpful.You can introduce the chicks into the flock at 14-15 weeks or when they are similar in size. Otherwise, they will not stand a chance against the adults. The adults will absolutely kill them. You always want to introduce at least 2 or 3 as well. The adult chickens see anything outside of their own flock as a threat.
You can take them out for the adults to get used to them but you will have to keep them separated with some chicken wire, etc. and under full supervision starting at 10-12 weeks. Not only do you have to worry about the chickens but hawks, & cats as well. They are very vulnerable when they're small.
My husband & I use to do this for about 30 minutes a day from 10-14 or even 15 weeks.
At 14 to 15 weeks or whenever they were similar in size we introduced them in the middle of the night. We snuck them into the coop and placed them on the perch next to the chickens. Chickens have hard time seeing at night so we figured that this was the safest option & it was the best option in my opinion. We've done it 2 or 3 different times & we've had no problems whatsoever.
I've had chickens for 7 yrs & my husband for 15. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask!
