Mixing chickens together

[Love My Chickies]

I have 4 11ish week old chickens (my first ever). It's looking like 3 are cockrels and only one, the bantam, may be a pullet. Because of this, we recently purchased 4 one week old sexed pullets.

Right now, the first 4 are living together fine, but I know my small hen will not be able to live with 4 roosters. I am planning on still keeping the boys, but in a separate coop.

What I'm unsure of is how to integrate the poor bantam into the other 4 girls and away from the boys. The 4 new girls will be larger than her and I know she will throw off their pecking order and I don't want her to be bullied or be the odd one out.

Suggestions greatly appreciated!

 

[DobieLover]

I have 4 11ish week old chickens (my first ever). It's looking like 3 are cockrels and only one, the bantam, may be a pullet. Because of this, we recently purchased 4 one week old sexed pullets.

Right now, the first 4 are living together fine, but I know my small hen will not be able to live with 4 roosters. I am planning on still keeping the boys, but in a separate coop.

What I'm unsure of is how to integrate the poor bantam into the other 4 girls and away from the boys. The 4 new girls will be larger than her and I know she will throw off their pecking order and I don't want her to be bullied or be the odd one out.

Suggestions greatly appreciated!

Where are you brooding the chicks? I would separate the cockerels from the lone pullet now, and brood the chicks in the coop with her. Use a brooder plate, NOT a heat lamp. You can fashion a small door in the brooder when the chicks are 4 weeks old so that they can come and go from their safe zone and mingle with her.
Can you post pictures of your coop and run?

 

[Love My Chickies]

Where are you brooding the chicks? I would separate the cockerels from the lone pullet now, and brood the chicks in the coop with her. Use a brooder plate, NOT a heat lamp. You can fashion a small door in the brooder when the chicks are 4 weeks old so that they can come and go from their safe zone and mingle with her.
Can you post pictures of your coop and run?

The last photo is the brooder that my fiance put together quickly with old doors. We are currently using a heat lamp for the littles.

 

[Mrs. K]

I too am in favor of pulling the roosters into their set up ASAP. Then I would add clutter to your run and coop, let the chickies play there for a day, give them a mock chase or two so that they can find the safe places, and then I would put the pullet in.

The fact that you have 4 chicks and 1 older bird - you can only chase so many without getting tired. Yes she will act cranky for a day, and she will give a couple of pecks, but if the chicks can run away and get to where she can't. They will work it out quickly.

Safe zones can be a fence line just a couple of inches off the ground, a pallet laid on top of bricks, low to the ground, any kind of one way gate, where a smaller bird can get through, and a bigger bird cannot.

Mrs K