Integrating

[Trish1947]

Here is a still photo. All going good.

 

[Lor]

Here is a still photo. All going good.

Yay!
I wish it went that smoothly for me. We're still working on it.

 

[Trish1947]

Yay!
I wish it went that smoothly for me. We're still working on it.

I was shocked actually. But happy it went as well as it did.

 

[Wmaddox]

How big are the "teenagers"? I integrate mine around 6 weeks old but have a setup where the babies can run back into their brooder but the big ones can't fit. Is that an option?

What is your setup like? First time integrating my 2 yr old chicks with 7 week olds. Tonight put littles in a dog cage in coop. Littles are huddled on top of heat plate ( not under) rather than roosting on stick they usually roosted on when dog cage in house. Big girls bawking and egg singing. At what age can I do a setup where littles can run away ? What would that setup look like?

 

[Mamatomany123]

What is your setup like? First time integrating my 2 yr old chicks with 7 week olds. Tonight put littles in a dog cage in coop. Littles are huddled on top of heat plate ( not under) rather than roosting on stick they usually roosted on when dog cage in house. Big girls bawking and egg singing. At what age can I do a setup where littles can run away ? What would that setup look like?

This is the brooder. When I have babies that opening is closed. This was me integrating them.

 

[Wmaddox]

This is the brooder. When I have babies that opening is closed. This was me integrating them.

Got it. Open at bottom with hardware cloth? Thank you.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Got it. Open at bottom with hardware cloth? Thank you.

It can be that simple, or it can also be a doorway of some sort that's only big enough to fit chicks and not adults. Beauty of Mamatomany123's set up is it makes it hard for hens to guard the opening, as it's wide. Other option is to provide multiple openings. I use a wire closet shelf to block off the front of my brooder, which leaves small gaps on either the side for the chicks to get in and out when they need a safe space away from hens.

FYI at 7 weeks your chicks are reaching the upper limit of being able to use chick openings, especially if you have any smaller/thinner hens, they can possibly fit themselves through openings that look too small for them. Like in the photo immediately above, one time I found that my heaviest hen had managed to fit in through that opening because I left it slightly larger than normal, like maybe 4" instead of 3" wide.

 

[Wmaddox]

It can be that simple, or it can also be a doorway of some sort that's only big enough to fit chicks and not adults. Beauty of Mamatomany123's set up is it makes it hard for hens to guard the opening, as it's wide. Other option is to provide multiple openings. I use a wire closet shelf to block off the front of my brooder, which leaves small gaps on either the side for the chicks to get in and out when they need a safe space away from hens.

View attachment 3133051
View attachment 3133054

FYI at 7 weeks your chicks are reaching the upper limit of being able to use chick openings, especially if you have any smaller/thinner hens, they can possibly fit themselves through openings that look too small for them. Like in the photo immediately above, one time I found that my heaviest hen had managed to fit in through that opening because I left it slightly larger than normal, like maybe 4" instead of 3" wide.

That’s great info. Thank you! Last week I tried to introduce and a big girl got crazy aggressive and chased and kicked the littles. How old should littles be when they meet face to face again? and how many weeks of them seeing through dog cage in coop before that face to face?

 

[Auntiejessi3]

It varies...my first integration it was just over a week, my second about 2 weeks. Both had different setups, so it made things a bit different both times. I like to watch my ladies and see how much attention they are paying to the littles, when they walk by without even a look that's what I call progress. Your ladies singing the "egg song" isn't the egg song, it's an alarm call that there are intruders. This is my new brooder, they were a little over 7 weeks in that picture and the opening was about 4 inches, mind you I have large ladies and there is no way any of them could get in there, just keep in mind what @rosemarythyme said if you have more slender ladies they may squeeze by

https://www.backyardchickens.com/account/th-attachment-manager/3053816/view

 

[Mamatomany123]

That’s great info. Thank you! Last week I tried to introduce and a big girl got crazy aggressive and chased and kicked the littles. How old should littles be when they meet face to face again? and how many weeks of them seeing through dog cage in coop before that face to face?

some hens never accept chicks. I would have them in a see but no touch setup for a few weeks at least. If she still doesn't leave them be then I would wait to fully integrate until the chicks are closer in size to her.