"Integrating different age groups of chicks"

[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 dayfarmers 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?
I can't seem to uplaod anymore photos .My connection is terrible where I live.

 

[Spartan22]

With that age difference, you can do a trial integration at night (dark) and let them all out in the run early before daylight since you have a big run. Make sure plenty of feeders and waterers cause one or two will be bullied out of feeds. Otherwise you’ll have to do a temp screen in the coop to see but no touch for few weeks. Good luck, hopefully everything works out without major stress or integration problem.

 

[aart]

How big is the coop, in feet by feet?
Pics would help too, if you can get them uploaded.
Space is of utmost importance.....and of course the other 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.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yea a lot of old-timers do that, just put them together and let them work it out. That is exactly what Dad did. But one huge difference in those old-timers and most of us is that they pretty much all free ranged and managed predator problems differently, usually dogs, guns, and occasionally traps. People that have not lived that life don't know how easy integration can be, even with the age differences. The vast majority of people on this forum do not have that kind of room and predator pressure can be a huge problem. If your conditions are different you can certainly have different results.

I appreciate the internet connection problems, especially in regards to sending photos. if you can reduce the file size that can help a lot, but as a minimum can you tell us in feet the size of your coop and run. A verbal description can help. The more we know about your specific situation the more we can tailor our responses.

In general Aart's generic comments are pretty good. The more of those you follow the more likely things will go smoothly so do what you reasonably can. The main thing I'd add is to not force them to be any closer together than you have to. If they want to hang out separately, let them. If they don't want to sleep right next to each other, well that's how they work things out.

On them roosting. Each of us have different facilities and use different management techniques so we can get different results. My brooder-raised chicks usually start roosting at 10 to 12 weeks if no older birds are roosting up there. I've had some start roosting at night as young as 5 weeks and some that took a lot longer than 12 weeks but it sounds like your older group is on track. But do not expect your younger group to start roosting with the older ones until they pretty much mature, which is about the time they start laying eggs. The older birds tend to be pretty brutal toward them on the roosts so they look for a safer place to spend the night. With mine that was sometimes the nests. That happened so often I put a juvenile roost lower than the main roosts and horizontally separated but higher than the nests. I don't know if yours will try sleeping in then nests but if they do you might think about why they are sleeping there. They want to be as high as they can but don't want to get beat up. Give them a safe alternative.

Good luck.

 

[kd_colorado]

How big is the coop, in feet by feet?
Pics would help too, if you can get them uploaded.
Space is of utmost importance.....and of course the other 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.

The coop is 8x8 and 10 ft tall. I have 8 large nesting boxes with 2 roosts on one side and one large roost on opposite side .The nesting boxes are 3 feet off the floor. The coop is a insulated metal and wood shed with wood paneling and electricity. Unfortunately it may be spring everywhere else but we just got a large snow storm and trees are frozen. And due to hurricane force winds the past couple weeks I have not been able to expand the coop.

 

[kd_colorado]

Yea a lot of old-timers do that, just put them together and let them work it out. That is exactly what Dad did. But one huge difference in those old-timers and most of us is that they pretty much all free ranged and managed predator problems differently, usually dogs, guns, and occasionally traps. People that have not lived that life don't know how easy integration can be, even with the age differences. The vast majority of people on this forum do not have that kind of room and predator pressure can be a huge problem. If your conditions are different you can certainly have different results.

I appreciate the internet connection problems, especially in regards to sending photos. if you can reduce the file size that can help a lot, but as a minimum can you tell us in feet the size of your coop and run. A verbal description can help. The more we know about your specific situation the more we can tailor our responses.

In general Aart's generic comments are pretty good. The more of those you follow the more likely things will go smoothly so do what you reasonably can. The main thing I'd add is to not force them to be any closer together than you have to. If they want to hang out separately, let them. If they don't want to sleep right next to each other, well that's how they work things out.

On them roosting. Each of us have different facilities and use different management techniques so we can get different results. My brooder-raised chicks usually start roosting at 10 to 12 weeks if no older birds are roosting up there. I've had some start roosting at night as young as 5 weeks and some that took a lot longer than 12 weeks but it sounds like your older group is on track. But do not expect your younger group to start roosting with the older ones until they pretty much mature, which is about the time they start laying eggs. The older birds tend to be pretty brutal toward them on the roosts so they look for a safer place to spend the night. With mine that was sometimes the nests. That happened so often I put a juvenile roost lower than the main roosts and horizontally separated but higher than the nests. I don't know if yours will try sleeping in then nests but if they do you might think about why they are sleeping there. They want to be as high as they can but don't want to get beat up. Give them a safe alternative.

Good luck.

Thank you. This is very helpful

 

[aart]

The coop is 8x8 and 10 ft tall. I have 8 large nesting boxes with 2 roosts on one side and one large roost on opposite side .The nesting boxes are 3 feet off the floor. The coop is a insulated metal and wood shed with wood paneling and electricity. Unfortunately it may be spring everywhere else but we just got a large snow storm and trees are frozen. And due to hurricane force winds the past couple weeks I have not been able to expand the coop.

Coop might be tight for 22 birds...unless part of run is sheltered from your terrible weather. Hang in there, spring really is coming...just got here, we had hard blowing snow and ice here last week.