Merging "chicks" with the flock

[NickyPick]

I have a nursery coop next door to my main coop in my barn. My chicks are now 16 weeks old, so this week, I opened the door to the barn when let the hens/roosters out to range. My group has options - a pasture out one side of the enclosed run, a pasture out the other side, and through the barn, access to the horse/goat/cow pasture. My older hens/roosters go everywhere. It's been an interesting 3 days (so far). First day, the youngsters stayed in their nursery coop until evening. A group went into one of the pastures and got lost, so I had to chivvy them back to their home. Day 2, only one pullet went out, got lost and ended up sleeping in the main coop with the adults. She REALLY wanted back in the nursery this morning, so I caught her and put her back in. None of the rest of the youngsters even ventured out all day, except for one pullet in the evening. She's spending the night with the adults. There are two adult (low ranking( hens in the nursery for the night.

Can't wait to see how they deal with tomorrow. Will I have more or less adults in the nursery? Will the youngsters venture out again? Their first foray seemed to have traumatized them a bit.

 

[birdlover2]

I have a nursery coop next door to my main coop in my barn. My chicks are now 16 weeks old, so this week, I opened the door to the barn when let the hens/roosters out to range. My group has options - a pasture out one side of the enclosed run, a pasture out the other side, and through the barn, access to the horse/goat/cow pasture. My older hens/roosters go everywhere. It's been an interesting 3 days (so far). First day, the youngsters stayed in their nursery coop until evening. A group went into one of the pastures and got lost, so I had to chivvy them back to their home. Day 2, only one pullet went out, got lost and ended up sleeping in the main coop with the adults. She REALLY wanted back in the nursery this morning, so I caught her and put her back in. None of the rest of the youngsters even ventured out all day, except for one pullet in the evening. She's spending the night with the adults. There are two adult (low ranking( hens in the nursery for the night.

Can't wait to see how they deal with tomorrow. Will I have more or less adults in the nursery? Will the youngsters venture out again? Their first foray seemed to have traumatized them a bit.

Well, it appears your merging is going well so far...although that poor guy that got lost and slept with the adults prob got the heck pecked out of him (using him as a general pronoun here, not to say the chick's a roo lol). Watching this thread to see what will happen!

 

[NickyPick]

The youngsters spent most all day yesterday in their own area, but now the adults are starting to come in and hang out with them. For some reason, right before sunset, one of the young pullets decided to go out, got scared, flew over a fence and had to spend the night with the adults (different one than the first one). Two adult hens decided to sleep with the kids. Funny bunch. So far today, the youngsters have not come out of their coop at all. If they keep this up, I may have to push them out.