Integrating chicks

[Smileygem]

Hi,

I've read loads of the previous threads on here about this but I'm not sure how to apply it in my case, I'd appreciate advice.

I have one spekledey hen who lives in an omelet eglu and free ranges in our garden in the daytime. We also now have a 6 week old blue ranger and a six week old black rock. We have had them for two weeks and they have been living inside with some trips outside in a small rabbit run whilst my hen free ranges in the garden around them. They are now spending all day in the run in the garden

For the last two days they have had a supervised visit on our enclosed patio with our hen and there hads been some pecking over food but not much.

What do I do next....the eglu isn't big enough to set up a separate compartment inside. I could just put them in there one day with her and sit it out but there would be nowhere for them to escape to. I assume they would need to stay in for a few days so they knew it was home so they would be in very close quarters.

Free ranging together would give them all space but I'm not happy to let the chicks free range yet as they are small enough for a cat to get and also don't come to call so if they wandered off into our shrubbery I wouldn't know how to get them back

Any ideas?

 

[Poultry parent]

can you put them all in a run and watch them? pecking at this point is normal they are just changing the pecking order, take them out if there is vicious pecking

 

[azygous]

Six weeks old is old enough to free-range under supervision. My chicks turned six weeks just today, and they've been free-ranging for a couple of weeks, going farther and farther from the run each day.

It's easy to train chicks to come when you call them. Just spend some time with some treats they like using a verbal cue each time you give them a treat. Also, use the same container each time, and they will come running when they see you with it in hand.

You really don't need to keep them cooped up for days. You may need to show them how to go into the coop at night for a few nights, but they will catch on pretty quickly if you use treats to train them.

It's just a matter of your older hen getting used to having the chicks around. She won't always peck them.

 

[clucker farms]

What do you do if your chick has dried poop on her bottom

 

[Smileygem]

Thanks everyone, I'm going to try free ranging them later in the week. I'm plying them with lots of treats at the moment,

Clucker farms, you needed to have posted your own thread then more people might have seen it. It sounds like your chick has pasty butt, you need to soak her bottom and try and remove the poo. It's pretty urgent that you remove it if her vent is blocked. I hope she is ok.

 

[clucker farms]

Thank you smileygem for the answer sadly the chick died last night because it got pecked so much that she died. Make sure you do not get French Guinea hens because that's what killed both of my Easter eggchickens