Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[lazy gardener]

Loving this method also. Was at a local discount store, and they had a "knock off" of the sunbeam pad on sale today. I picked one up and seriously considered buying it until I did a closer inspection and found that it did not have the 2 hour bypass, and only L-M-H for settings. I really like the 1 - 8 settings. I have 2, don't need a third!

 

[saraem]

I need help.

Still having a hard time with integration. Chicks are 6 weeks on Tuesday. They are fine free ranging with the big girls, I don't worry or even pay much attention to them anymore when they're all out. The littles are quick and the bigs don't pay them any mind unless they come really close, and then a quick lunge sends the littles skittering.

However, in the coop it's another story. I've tried several times to open "panic doors" and every time, within 10 minutes, our Barred Rock has attacked one (usually the same chick, actually). I'm not talking just a little peck, either. It's grabbing and holding, ripping out feathers territory. I'm afraid if I left the doors open and walked away, I'd come back to a dead chick, so I always close them back up. I think there just isn't as much room to run in any direction in there, and they get cornered more easily (or put in a situation where they have to pass the big girls to reach safety).

Am I at the point where I should separate the BR out for a day and try to integrate them with our other big chicken? Do I need more "safe zones" in the coop? Or just give it more time?

 

[aart]

I need help.

Still having a hard time with integration. Chicks are 6 weeks on Tuesday. They are fine free ranging with the big girls, I don't worry or even pay much attention to them anymore when they're all out. The littles are quick and the bigs don't pay them any mind unless they come really close, and then a quick lunge sends the littles skittering.

However, in the coop it's another story. I've tried several times to open "panic doors" and every time, within 10 minutes, our Barred Rock has attacked one (usually the same chick, actually). I'm not talking just a little peck, either. It's grabbing and holding, ripping out feathers territory. I'm afraid if I left the doors open and walked away, I'd come back to a dead chick, so I always close them back up. I think there just isn't as much room to run in any direction in there, and they get cornered more easily (or put in a situation where they have to pass the big girls to reach safety).

Am I at the point where I should separate the BR out for a day and try to integrate them with our other big chicken? Do I need more "safe zones" in the coop? Or just give it more time?

Pics of setup might help.
..and more info, coop size, how many birds, how long chicks have been in coop, etc.

I would seriously consider crating the mean bird, right in coop if possible, and open the doors.

 

[saraem]

Pics of setup might help.
..and more info, coop size, how many birds, how long chicks have been in coop, etc.

I would seriously consider crating the mean bird, right in coop if possible, and open the doors.

That's the coop. It's 9.5x5.5. The 2 chicks are in the box on the lower left, it's just a wooden frame with chicken wire stretched over it. It's 2.5' square.

We have 2 adult birds, the BR that's a bully and a BO that goes after them, but halfheartedly. Haven't seen her peck anyone in a week or more, just lunge and chase them off.

Chicks have been out in the coop for 3 weeks.

ETA: The bird in question, Mouse, has always needed some "encouragement" to treat her flock mates with respect. As a 2 week chick I had to use "peck therapy" as she was bullying the 4-week-olds we had at the time. I've tried that in this situation, using 2 fingers to "peck" her on the head or back of neck when she attacks the littles. Hasn't seemed to make much difference yet, but I haven't given her that much opportunity to hurt them either.

 

[Blooie]

It sounds like you are doing everything you can, but sometimes we all get that one bird that is just a plain troublemaker, no matter how many other good traits she might have. When I was still brooding my very first chicks in the house under a heat lamp (shudder) I had one like that. Jane, the Evil One was her name, and she was that way with me, the other chicks in the brooder, and once they were all moved to the coop. She was delicious. I know, not what you want to hear, but there are just situations where the usual precautions just don't cut it. Hope someone else offers more help. I don't know that separating her would do you much good but it might be all that's left for you to try. If she wasn't actually doing any damage but just asserting herself, that's one thing - but when she's causing physical damage to the rest of the flock (chick or adult) that's a lot tougher to deal with.

Good luck on finding a solution (sorry I didn't have one) and keep us posted.

 

[saraem]

Thanks Blooie.

She is fine with the other hen she was raised with, but certainly is giving me a run for my money with these chicks. I could probably easily rehome her with a friend of mine who has a much larger flock and roosters and thus, she'd have to get in line. I really would prefer not to, though, as we need the eggs! With such a small flock numbers count so much, and we've got months before we're getting eggs from the babies.

If anyone else has suggestions, please let me know.

If not, I'm going to try isolating her in the coop. How do you deal with nest box access in that situation? Would I need to give her a nest box inside the crate? Or could I just put her in the henhouse for a few hours? That part of it is giving me a headache.

 

[aart]

Thanks Blooie.

She is fine with the other hen she was raised with, but certainly is giving me a run for my money with these chicks. I could probably easily rehome her with a friend of mine who has a much larger flock and roosters and thus, she'd have to get in line. I really would prefer not to, though, as we need the eggs! With such a small flock numbers count so much, and we've got months before we're getting eggs from the babies.

If anyone else has suggestions, please let me know.

If not, I'm going to try isolating her in the coop. How do you deal with nest box access in that situation? Would I need to give her a nest box inside the crate? Or could I just put her in the henhouse for a few hours? That part of it is giving me a headache.

Do you have a wire dog crate? Borrow one?
Good tool to have.
Or maybe put her in the chicks cage.
Put her in that and set it down in the run or just outside it.
Make her stay in there all day while the others have free access to coop, run, yard.
Then after dark you can put her back on the roost.
Try that for a few days then let her out and see if she's learned any manners from her time out.

That coop and run is small for 4 birds...makes integration difficult.
Are there windows for light and ventilation in the coop?
Probably going to need 2 separate roosts in coop as the littles won't be allowed until maybe after they start laying.

 

[saraem]

Do you have a wire dog crate? Borrow one?
Good tool to have.
Or maybe put her in the chicks cage.
Put her in that and set it down in the run or just outside it.
Make her stay in there all day while the others have free access to coop, run, yard.
Then after dark you can put her back on the roost.
Try that for a few days then let her out and see if she's learned any manners from her time out.

That coop and run is small for 4 birds...makes integration difficult.
Are there windows for light and ventilation in the coop?
Probably going to need 2 separate roosts in coop as the littles won't be allowed until maybe after they start laying.

I thought the rule of thumb was 4sqft inside per bird, 10 in run? The henhouse part is 16.5 and the run is 52sqft. I know we will be maxed out with 4 full-grown hens but they free range A LOT too.

The entire top of the henhouse is open, with the roof (which lets light through) 3-10" above the hardware cloth covering. It is very light in there all day and the ventilation seems sufficient, especially since the big girls actually sleep on the roost in the run most nights. They started when it was really hot, and only one has gone back indoors on one occasion so far this Fall. We're in GA so temps are still in the 40-70 range.

We had planned to add another roost when we release the chicks full time, which I thought would be happening by this point!

 

[junebuggena]

I thought the rule of thumb was 4sqft inside per bird, 10 in run? The henhouse part is 16.5 and the run is 52sqft. I know we will be maxed out with 4 full-grown hens but they free range A LOT too.

The entire top of the henhouse is open, with the roof (which lets light through) 3-10" above the hardware cloth covering. It is very light in there all day and the ventilation seems sufficient, especially since the big girls actually sleep on the roost in the run most nights. They started when it was really hot, and only one has gone back indoors on one occasion so far this Fall. We're in GA so temps are still in the 40-70 range.

We had planned to add another roost when we release the chicks full time, which I thought would be happening by this point!

The "rule of thumb" is for established flocks. You need about double that when trying to integrate.

 

[aart]

Quote: Yep.....'rule of thumb' is minimum too....IMO.
Your climate helps some as they can be outside more, especially if run is fully predator proof at night and they can roost out there....
.......but if it's pouring rain, or you have a predator event and need to keep them confined for a few weeks could get mighty crowded in there.