Introducing 4 Americauna chicks to flock of 3 heirloom hens

[DeeAnn5]

Hi. Impulse buy of 4 chicks mid-June. The photo is when they were about 1 week old. I believe now they are exactly 6 weeks old. I did leave them in a dog crate like 1 hour at a time when they were little to meet the Bigs. The Littles don't like being handled because I kept putting them in a cardboard box to carry them in and out from the incubator, then moving them around to the crate and the other daytime enclosure to stretch their legs more as they got bigger. They are outdoors in a predator proof container, doing well! But not really tame.

A little confused about the intros. The problem is, the Littles are in a predator-proof cage separate from, and not adjacent to, the chicken yard/chicken tractor, and neither can be moved because of the dog, etc. I can't see keeping the 4 in a crate during the day because they're too big for it. It's going to have to be a "throw them in the deep end" type of introduction. I will study this more on these threads, but can you also give me some straight advice - when and how is this going down?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Can you section off part of the space they will eventually share? If not, can you add things to the space that the littles can hide behind/under to escape from the bigs, if needed?

 

[DeeAnn5]

Can you section off part of the space they will eventually share? If not, can you add things to the space that the littles can hide behind/under to escape from the bigs, if needed?

It's a fenced garden area with some raised beds...could theoretically be partitioned but there is only 1 predator proof chicken tractor in that part of the yard. There are several great hiding spaces including an A-frame run through and lots of greenery...plus they can run all around outside the raised beds...At what age should they be introduced? Is putting them in the roost box at night the best way to do this?

 

[rosemarythyme]

It's a fenced garden area with some raised beds...could theoretically be partitioned but there is only 1 predator proof chicken tractor in that part of the yard. There are several great hiding spaces including an A-frame run through and lots of greenery...plus they can run all around outside the raised beds...At what age should they be introduced? Is putting them in the roost box at night the best way to do this?

They could've already been introduced - their age isn't the issue. If you cannot do a see but no touch integration, they'll likely get attacked by the older birds if you just throw them on the roosts at night.

Can you post some photographs of your set up? It sounds like you have a lot of space, so not sure why the littles can't be placed in a safe see but no touch area for the adults to get used to them for a week or two before letting them have contact.

 

[DeeAnn5]

So

They could've already been introduced - their age isn't the issue. If you cannot do a see but no touch integration, they'll likely get attacked by the older birds if you just throw them on the roosts at night.

Can you post some photographs of your set up? It sounds like you have a lot of space, so not sure why the littles can't be placed in a safe see but no touch area for the adults to get used to them for a week or two before letting them have contact.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! So sorry I won't have time to look at this until later tomorrow. Pic of my 3 adult hens, the one in front was a battery hen. The other 2 are large heirlooms.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Unfortunately you're going to have a hard time adding any new birds to that set up. Coop is too small for an additional 4. Best bet I think is to have the chicks in a cage or something out in the free range area for 1-2 weeks (large dog crate w/ additional fencing to prevent escapes/reach throughs), dog exercise pen, etc) so they can see and get used to the adults, and vice versa, and take that time to convert the existing mini coop/mini run into a bigger unit. Still might not be space in there for 7 birds but any extra space you can get is better.

So a few things to read through:
1) A little information about integrating chicks with adults - you can skip past the setting up the brooder part, but I have my 2018 and 2020 chick integrations documented here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/ Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of how a see but no touch set up works, how to set up clutter, and what to look for as far as progressing the integration process.

2) Coop conversion info:
To turn it from 2 small "boxes" (tiny coop above tiny run) into 1 bigger "box" you'll want to remove as much of the inside coop wall as possible, plus the floor. Take out the old roosts too.

Nests might be able to stay as is, or may need to be relocated elsewhere or replaced - depends on the structure of the coop and how things inside stack up once done.

Run a new roost(s) lengthwise or widthwise across the newly open space, depending on how much roost is needed. Ideally you’d like 12” per bird but 10” can suffice in many cases.

Board up some of the external wire walls so that the roost area is protected from winds and rain. Do NOT fully cover up all the wire, you need ventilation and natural light, so at the very least a few inches under the roofline should remain open. If your climate allows for it, you can leave entire walls open with just the mesh, or make it convertible for the season by covering up open walls for winter, and then uncovering for summer.

Example of a modified prefab: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/

 

[DeeAnn5]

More info about my flock: The tractor is opened first thing in the morning and closed last thing at night, so my girls free roam within the 900 square feet enclosed garden area (dog free zone). We are in Missouri, and it gets pretty cold here. there is a red light on in the roost when it is 20 degrees or below. We also fully enclose the chicken tractor in clear plexiglass each Winter. The tractor serves as a draft-free zone on brutally cold days. Didn't take any new pics but read through the links you provided and will attach a few more pics of my coop. Thank you for these ideas! I like the jungle gym and using it as an extra feed station, I can build one this week I think...I'm going to post a few pics of my setup. Although I agree the chicken tractor is not big enough for 7 hens, I do think there will be enough room in there for all 7 to roost, since the 4 Americaunas will be pretty small. The black one in my photo was an Americauna and she was super small compared to my Brahman. We have actually re-done the perches since that photo was taken and they are about 3 inches wide now. I see the value of expanding the roost size, just not sure if it's do-able...I can put an extra roost box on the lower level, though. That's a good idea, thanks. I also like the idea of setting up a "day run" for the Littles using the dog crate and some extra fencing. I should be able to get this done, then still move them at night back to the separate predator proof container at night until integration happens. I also like the idea of having lots of extra places for them to get away from the Bigs, in addition to the A-frame and vegetation in the run.

 

[DeeAnn5]

OK so thinking since all egg laying happens in morning, and plenty of safe spaces for Bigs to hide in case of hawk, here is my thought: I will just lock the Littles in the chicken tractor 8 hours/day for 3 days for introductions. Then move the Littles to their safe cage at night. Will this work?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I will just lock the Littles in the chicken tractor 8 hours/day for 3 days for introductions. Then move the Littles to their safe cage at night. Will this work?

Maybe. 3 days is extremely short for see but no touch, but depends on the disposition of your flock.

 

[DeeAnn5]

Maybe. 3 days is extremely short for see but no touch, but depends on the disposition of your flock.

How long do you suggest? My 2 Jumbo heirlooms are pretty mellow and lived on a farm, but the battery hen may be the one to watch out for. She's small but she no play.