Introducing The Chicks

[XanderWiFi]

The day has come! Following Aart and some of the other's advice the big chickens have met the little chickens in jail house setting. Pictures attached contain the first coop I have built so be gentle. It is 4x5 for the 6 chicks who are currently almost 4 weeks old and almost more feather than fluff at this point.

Big chickens showed general curiosity towards the new coop and after moving in the little chicks mostly hung out inside likely afraid of this big new scary world. We checked on them frequently throughout the day and night ensuring they were safe and keeping warm/cool. Temperatures have ranged 60-80 here lately through day and night. We keep a lizard lamp on one side of the coop in case they get cool-alas, they seemed more warm than anything during the night after a very warm day.

I was anxious about their condition and saw one of the motion lights trip at 0500 so I got dressed, made a cup of coffee, grabbed my rifle and flashlight and watched the sun rise with my 5 yo daughter who was also wide awake for whatever reason. Promptly at 0605 all the big chickens piled out of their coop and at 0615 the little chicks made their big appearance from their little coop.

Some big chickens are super curious about the chicks. Most of the time they are indifferent. Ironically, the most spastic and human shy Storm and Vader the Creeper are the most interested in them. But I could not be sure if their interest was platonic or if the chicks looked more like a meal.

So I arranged some supervised introductions. At this point the chicks have been in direct contact with 5/9 chickens and all interactions show promise. Having read of other flocks immediately attacking newcomers or unknowns I remained on edge and very close and ready to grab the bigger bird immediately.

First was Mohawk, my little eye pecking buddy. She was indifferent. Looked at them for a few seconds and then jumped out of their enclosure.

Next was one of the Fluffies. White leghorn. Again: indifference after evaluation.

Worst experience was from the Easter Egger Skunk. She began scratching in their run and if a chick came near her she bopped them. Enough that they scattered chirping but with no lasting injury. She did not pursue or attempt to maim. Just kind of saying "get out of my AO" and went back to scratching. If I had to pick a top bird for the flock it would be Skunk. She is the only one I have ever witnessed running around trying to bully other birds, but I have seen just as many back her down and stand up to her.

Storm was very docile. She held still and looked at them with interest as they ran around her legs and personal space. She is one of the lower birds, if not the lowest in the flock. I also catch her sitting on the eggs more than any other and secretly wonder if she wants to be a mama.

Vader the Creeper was the biggest surprise. She had a similar reaction as Storm. Some of the chicks came by her to eat their food and that seemed a critical moment to me. Would she claim their food as hers? Push them away from it? Nope. The chick nibbled and then went beak to beak with Vader for a moment and went back to the food. Then Vader's tail feather got singed by the lamp and she jumped out of their immediately haha.

Though they are brief supervised interactions within ultimately neutral ground, the results seem promising. I have reinforced the run with baseboards and buried 1/2 inch welded wire. I have to finish turning the 12x4 coop into Fort Knox, add some platform boards and redo their roosting bars in anticipation of full integration.

As I type this I heard some commotion and walked out to see an odd display. Vader and Storm were on top of the chicks coop and they were facing the rest of the flock in a cluster. The cluster did not seem focused on any one thing in particular, but were bunched up near the door like they would if I were coming in. Meanwhile, Vader seemed to making some kind of challenge call: Raaaaaaawk-rawk-rawk. Definitely was not the egg song.

It's going to be an interesting process I think.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Generally hens lower on the pecking order are more interested in pecking at chicks. The more dominant member are better at leaving them alone except for a "pardon me you're in my space" peck. I will keep up the supervised mingling for a week or two before feeling more comfortable with walking away for a while. Eventually I just lock mine up at night for a few months separately before I leave them out full time.

 

[Mrs. K]

Beautiful set up! After a week, I would just make some small openings in the fence. This allows the littles to explore out on their terms, not yours, when and how long they want to. They will recognize their safety zone, and if someone gets a little cranky they can slip back into it, without the big ones following. Mine were fully integrated within a week. Works so slick.

Mrs K

 

[Relleoms]

Beautiful set up! After a week, I would just make some small openings in the fence. This allows the littles to explore out on their terms, not yours, when and how long they want to. They will recognize their safety zone, and if someone gets a little cranky they can slip back into it, without the big ones following. Mine were fully integrated within a week. Works so slick.

Mrs K

Agreed! In about 5 days, my little girls have started roosting “up top” with the big girls. They are co-mingling during the day, but I still have the escape hatch set up as everyone has been in the coop the last 2 days due to inclement weather. There have been a few dust ups, but it seems the little girls have learned quickly which big girls are jerks and which ones are indifferent. It’s actually pretty amazing to watch; we were so protective with our first flock last spring. We are much more brave this time around. That, or chickens are far more hardy than we thought

 

[aart]

That's a sweet little coop/run!
Might need a window in coop part for light?
Is there some ventilation other than the door between coop and run(which I assume is always open)?
It indeed might get too hot in the coop part.
Is there a tiny door in the chick run so they can go in and out but the big birds can't go in?

So I arranged some supervised introductions.

How did you do this?

 

[XanderWiFi]

I will try to answer questions with best detail possible being day 3 that chicks have been moved into their apartment within the run. I do not believe I am doing a very good job.

For ventilation, the coop door is one, but unseen is ridge vents I built into the back where the top door is hinged and wedged; also, the front where the lock is has an overhang with a gap. Nothing large enough for a predator outside a smaller snake to get into. I contemplated a window but we are expecting temperatures to drop back into the 30s and did not want too much airflow. I have noticed they like to hang out by the door at night presumably for more light-I am open to ideas to give them some healthy light (I was worried about hormones or anything other than red light affecting them-the current lizard light emits no light). The apartment coop is not waterproof I discovered from a night and day of thunderstorms and rain, but their bedding all stayed dry and only was wet on the bottom around one edge where it dribbled in over time to the bottom.

For increased exploration, my original intent was to let them roost and jump up and down at their leisure, but I do not think getting in and out in this manner will be effective. Meaning I will need to cut another door for them to be able to explore the run on their own time-in time.

My supervised introductions have consisted of putting one bird in the chick's run and blocking the opening with a 2x4 so that only the chicks can get in and out. Unfortunately, some chickens feel trapped and chicks not wanting to come out do not make the best setup for this. During this time, I was more interested in getting a grasp on the initial reactions of the big chickens. Some chickens just adopted the apartment for their own and started scratching and making it home which is how I discovered Red the RIR is not friendly when chicks made appearances. She actually stuck her head in their coop section trying to get at them at one point it seemed.

Today I put up some welded wire fence and gave the chicks a 1/3 of the run for their own. I set up logs and boards for hiding spots for them and scooped them out to explore. I only allowed two chickens in at this time: mohawk and vader. Mohawk felt trapped and only wanted out. Vader the Creeper did her own thing and when coming into contact with the chicks remains the only free interaction so far that did not get the chicks pecked up. I was very proud of my Creeper for her tolerant behavior, and together they just dug in the leaves a bit and seemed to enjoy the time. It was a bit chilly 50-60 and I did not want to leave the young ones out too long, but they seemed to enjoy the time. Vader initially had a moment when she ran up on one with an expression of "wtf are you?!?" and I had my rake and was poised to intervene if it got too rough, but she just touched beaks with the chick and they went back to it.

Eventually, I allowed Skunk the EE behind the fence but she immediately made an aggressive beeline for the chicks. I put my arm in front of her and she reared back and fluffed her neck feathers out-which I took as a sign of aggression. She got some forced human cuddles and put out.

Storm was the only one that showed interest in getting OVER the fence to the chick side. I let her through and she immediately shot for the chicks, roughed them up for a second or two and joined Vader scratching about. After a few minutes she went after them again, when I saw her pull back with fluff in her beak I kicked her out and put the kids to bed

Vader got some mealworm rewards, I took the barrier down and exited the run for the night. Maybe it is normal, but I think I grossly overestimated my chicken's tolerance of newcomers. The more the chicks run around it the more the bigger chickens think they are a toy or something.

 

[XanderWiFi]

A question on the side, my wife wants to close their coop door for fear that the anticipated 39 low tonight will be too cold for them. I just put everyone to bed, they were all huddled and feeling cozy but again positioned by the door totally on the opposite side from the lizard lamp. They have a good six inches of bedding, the lamp, and one another for warmth as well as the full protection of the coop (with the exception of that one door being open...Will it be enough for them?

 

[Mrs. K]

Watch your chicks, if they are tightly packed together peeping madly, they are too cold, if they are laying flat almost looking dead, they are sleeping soundly and are probably pretty warm.

If chicks have a warm area and a cold area, that is good, and they can adjust by their position as needed.

I would not put the hens in with the chicks. Bound to be a wreck, let the big girls out of the run, open the chick place to the run, and let them explore. They won't be ready to do this until they have been in their digs for a day or so. But they will get curious and want to explore a bit by day 3... let them with the big hens outside. After a while, go down there and chase them a bit, getting them to find the safety zone. Once they figure it out, make the openings, and let the big girls in.

There is nothing wrong with the way you are doing it, but it is all on your terms, your set up, I think it works best to let the chicks and the hens work it out on their terms. But we all have to do it on our own comfort level.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

Ceramic reptile heater?
I don't see it in the coop?
It's hard to know why they are near the open door instead of near the heat.
How were you heating them before they moved to this coop/run?
Maybe they're too warm, or they don't recognize the heat source,
or they want the light and maybe air.

As far as intros, I agree with Mrs.K, putting the hens in new confined space with the chicks is asking for trouble, which I think you realize.
Making a small door(s) for the chicks in their safe place run wall is better IMO, but still places to hide outside their safe place is a good idea.
Leave the chicks in this new space for a week at least before letting the have access outside the safe place and the other birds.

Where is this chick place in relation to the older birds coop and run?

 

[XanderWiFi]

It is a bulb heater. The clamp on kind. We added it when night set in the first evening. That first night when it was 80 during the day and 65-70 at night was the only time we saw them in any temperature discomfort-too warm. The second night we left the door open and I found them all sleeping by it. I transplanted them to the warm spot and they seemed just as comfortable there and fell right back asleep. Tonight, they were all quiet and cuddled again by the door. Put them by the warm side and they did this competition where they kept pushing under one another to get the corner spot. But none of the symptoms that you guys list above.

The run overall is 30x30 absorbing the large chicken coop in one of the corners-The walls of the coop itself form half of one of the run walls. The chick apartment is boxed into another corner within the run. I will see if I can find the link where I posted my coop/run.