Introducing chicks to the coop

[Brooke Carson]

I have a handful of younger chickens (they range from 4-10 weeks right now) and we're looking at eventually introducing them to the hens outside in the coop. Those hens are some 9-10 months in age. We take the younger chickens outside in the warm parts of the day and let them see each other. We started bringing them into the run in a dog crate/kennel and the older chickens were okay with that so we let them out into the run with a bunch of us ready to beak up anything if anyone was not okay with it but the older ones were fine with that. We've been letting them hang out together for supervised visits every day for a few weeks and that hasn't been a problem so we decided to try to see if it would be a problem for them to go into the actual coop... and that's where the older hens draw the line. They don't mind the chickens running around the run with them but they chase them out of the coop. How should we introduce them to the coop? We don't have room to make some kind of divider where they could be in half of the coop w/o the other chickens as the whole thing is long and narrow and only has one door from the run.

 

[Brooks_]

Would it be possible for you to put a small coop in the run? It will take some time before the littles are accepted into the coop. Usually about laying age.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How long have they been in the run together? During that period are they in the run the entire day, or only for short durations?

I don't start worrying about adding chicks to the coop until they've been with the adults in the run full time during days for a couple of weeks.

 

[aart]

How many birds in each group?
How big is coop and run?
Dimensions and pics might help here.

 

[Brooke Carson]

Would it be possible for you to put a small coop in the run? It will take some time before the littles are accepted into the coop. Usually about laying age.

Maybe. I'd hate to try to build something just to have to take it down. We aren't intending to put them out there full time for a while, but we are trying to get them acclimated to each other.

 

[Brooke Carson]

How long have they been in the run together? During that period are they in the run the entire day, or only for short durations?

I don't start worrying about adding chicks to the coop until they've been with the adults in the run full time during days for a couple of weeks.

We bring them out for a few hours at a time to the run, but the coop is attached and opened. We haven't really moved them out full time but were intending to just put them out for longer and longer times until they were fine together (however long that took). Since it was going well and since we leave the coop open all day, we were wanting to see if we left the littler chickens out there for longer, maybe unsupervised visits, if it would bother the old ones for the younger ones to go into the coop and that seems to be the place where the older ones start caring. Maybe we could just shut the coop during the visits, but the older ones go in there to lay eggs or hide from airplanes (they are weird--there's plenty in the run to hide under but they prefer the coop)

 

[Brooks_]

Maybe. I'd hate to try to build something just to have to take it down. We aren't intending to put them out there full time for a while, but we are trying to get them acclimated to each other.

It can still be used for jail, hospital, broody breaker. My adults like to use it as a kitchen hang out.

 

[Brooke Carson]

How many birds in each group?
How big is coop and run?
Dimensions and pics might help here.

The older ones--6 hens about 9 months old living in the coop outside.
The middle ones--6 hens and a roo about 9-10 weeks old living in a brooder (huge stock tank in the house)
The youngest ones--4 chicks of supposed female gender of about 4-5 weeks old living in the same huge stock tank in the house
(and 2 ducks of unknown gender of about 4-5 weeks old living in the same stock tank)


The run is giant. It's 100 foot long by 50 foot wide. The coop is built in 2 sections. It's got an upper level with roosting bars and nesting boxes That section is about 4 foot square and it has a ramp going down into a lower section that's just a covered area with walls. We keep the food and water in there. That lower section is about 5 foot long by 3 foot wide. It has one door leading out into the run.

 

[rosemarythyme]

We bring them out for a few hours at a time to the run, but the coop is attached and opened. We haven't really moved them out full time but were intending to just put them out for longer and longer times until they were fine together (however long that took). Since it was going well and since we leave the coop open all day, we were wanting to see if we left the littler chickens out there for longer, maybe unsupervised visits, if it would bother the old ones for the younger ones to go into the coop and that seems to be the place where the older ones start caring. Maybe we could just shut the coop during the visits, but the older ones go in there to lay eggs or hide from airplanes (they are weird--there's plenty in the run to hide under but they prefer the coop)

I'd let them stay in the run during the day, you're not really letting them get to know each other if it's just a few hours here and there. No reason to close off the coop, just don't expect the younger ones to want to go in there at night just yet.

Once they're good in the daytime for a week or two then I'd start thinking about how to move them into the coop. A divider like you mentioned, or a dog crate or something similar inside the coop.

The coop is built in 2 sections. It's got an upper level with roosting bars and nesting boxes That section is about 4 foot square and it has a ramp going down into a lower section that's just a covered area with walls. We keep the food and water in there. That lower section is about 5 foot long by 3 foot wide. It has one door leading out into the run.

A little foggy on how the coop is laid out, it sounds very small in comparison to the run but maybe it's not making sense in my head. Any photos? If the roosting section is only 4 sq ft that's enough space for 1 bird, so I don't see how that's possible when you have 6 hens. You definitely wouldn't have room for the new additions at all if that's how small it is.

 

[aart]

That section is about 4 foot square

4' x 4' or 16 square feet?
Yeah, pretty small for even the 6 oldest, let alone trying to integrate more.

The run is giant. It's 100 foot long by 50 foot wide.

This is great, is it weather proofed at all?
Is there a door to easily get another shelter/coop inside?

Any photos?

Certainly would help here.