Mom done raising chicks, but Very intolerant during flock integration

[khind]

My hen hatched & has raised 4 chicks dutifully and splendidly, in a screened-partitioned smaller coop & run next to adult coop & run. This is week 10.
* In the past 3 days, the amount of time she spent with them all day in the yard and coop dropped abruptly to 90% one day, to 10% the next, & to 0% today... AND the past 2 days, she pecks the heck out of them, doing stare-downs & chases... Yesterday it was when they came near her. But today, she's walked up to them where they are a few times & just pecked them repeatedly until they ran off. I know the mom will let them go when she knows it's time, but to go from 90 to 0 with such impatience seems extreme! Is it?

* All day today these chicks have stayed inside the warm run (88° outside) instead of going outside under a tree to dust bathe & lie in the shade like they'd been doing with her all day long, and mom & the adult rooster are wooing each other again while the head hen hovers nearby... In other words, there are 2 separate flocks now with the peace keeper/integrator (mom) now gone... and telling them to hit the road!

*They'd been spending their days in the chicken yard with mom & the other two adults for the past 5-6 weeks, so everyone knows each other, and the head hen makes sure they know she's boss, etc. (But now looks like they've got 2 bossy hens.) The mom & chicks had also spent parts of their days in the adult run, with the other 2 adults coming and going, but never locked in there together, because it's just too hot out. (I never let the other adults into the little flock's coop though.)

*The chicks have never roosted in that adult coop, just in theirs with Mom (including last night, & she did not bother them at all).

*Today, mom laid an egg for the 1st time since brooding, in a strange place, hidden in the chicken yard instead of the nest boxes she used to always use. So, *maybe* she's going broody again... If so, I'll have to remove her to a broody breaker, which would give the rooster only his one adult hen again. Ugh.

So...

1. Is this normal tough love? Or is it bullying?

2. Should I put the chicks & mom into the adult roost to start sleeping there right away? (Surely mom will try to roost with the adults & Not them.)

3. Is it time to take down the screen wall & rejoin the 2 coops, or make sure they all get along for a while at night on the same roost first? Only thing is, if I do so, the littles might try to escape to their old roost (but that roost has a door i can close, the adult roost does not). (Rejoining the two would add a 10x3 run plus nest boxes.)

4. I wouldn't want the adult rooster to try to start mating with the chicks prematurely - could that happen if integrated at 10 wks? (However, he's ecstatic at having this mom hen's attention again.)

5. The chicks *seem* to be 3 pullets & 1 very fiesty, in-everybody's-business cockerel. He's the first one mom strongly puts in his place. The adult rooster has too, but only 2-3x over the past couple weeks, & he's used far less force doing so. (Rooster is nice & laid back.) He seems to ignore the cockerel otherwise. I wanted to see if i might be able to keep this cockerel if he & the rooster can make an agreement, but maybe that's too much of a gamble with a flock this small?

My bosses changed their mind & are now sending us back from remote into the building in 8 days! I felt like we were headed to a smooth integration a few days ago, & was contemplating putting the littles in the big roost asap. This roughness from mom seems like a wrench! (Only my husband will be able to go check on them, and he hasn't been hanging around with them to see what's been going on, but it's still better than having no one check on them.)
** Pic #1: 3 days ago. Mom is buff colored, chicks are taller. Peaceful. #2: Today - chicks in a cool space under a chair after mom chased them away, while #3: Mom & rooster are enjoying free use of the yard.

 

[aart]

Sounds pretty normal, it can be brutal when broody weans the chicks.
Has mama and the chicks been with the rest of the flock all along?

I let broody set and hatch separated by wire wall from flock, then remove wire wall about a week after hatch. It's still tough when she weans them, they are very confused and distressed, but figure it out eventually. Having hiding place and multiple feed and water stations can help.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Photos of the coops and runs would have been more beneficial than photos of the chickens. We could better understand what you are dealing with.

1. Is this normal tough love? Or is it bullying?

Normal

2. Should I put the chicks & mom into the adult roost to start sleeping there right away?

I've had broody hens stop taking care of their chicks and wean them cold turkey, pretty much instantly. I've had broody hens take care of their chicks during the day but leave them alone at night. I've had broody hens abandon the chicks during the day but take care of them at night. I've had some wean them at three weeks, some wait as long as yours. Each hen weans her chicks her own way, nothing consistent about that.

I'd leave then alone and let them decide what they want to do. I'd expect the hen to soon join the rest of the flock at night and the chicks to keep sleeping where they are for a while.

3. Is it time to take down the screen wall & rejoin the 2 coops, or make sure they all get along for a while at night on the same roost first?

The way I understand it the entire flock had access to both coops and all runs during the day. I would not expect the chicks to sleep on the same roosts as the adults for months, not until they mature a lot more. I'd consider it a good thing for them to return to their old roosts at night for a while I'd wait until they have roamed with the adult flock for about a month before I tried moving them into the adult coop if they don't go in on their own. That's not a problem for me with my set-up, but I can appreciate taking care of them could be easier if you are only dealing with one coop.

I don't know how big your main coop is or how it is set up inside. My juveniles generally don't sleep on the main roosts until they mature, they find somewhere else to sleep. As long as it is not my nests and is predator safe I don't care where they sleep.

4. I wouldn't want the adult rooster to try to start mating with the chicks prematurely - could that happen if integrated at 10 wks?

A good rooster should not bother them until they are ready to lay. Mine don't. Cockerels are a different story.

5. I wanted to see if i might be able to keep this cockerel if he & the rooster can make an agreement, but maybe that's too much of a gamble with a flock this small?

That's a gamble with any flock of any size. It may work out, it may not. Some people have managed that with as few girls as you have, some have failed with over 20 hens. You can try it and go by what you see, but I'd have a Plan B ready in case I needed it. When you need it you generally need it immediately.

 

[Mrs. K]

I agree with Ridgerunner - let them work it out. Eventually on their own terms, they will all roost in with the big hens.

I have had my hens just forget their chicks, overnight. Done with that. But if the flock is used to the chicks it is not a problem. The chicks are tolerated sub flock and will be until they begin to lay. Because of that, they need to give way to the older birds. That is chicken society.

I love a multi-generational flock, but I do have a large run, a lot of hide outs, multiple feed stations, roosts, platforms all which allow lower class birds to get out of sight and away from other birds for a while.

The best chance in my experience of having two rooster is a father / son. However, in reality two roosters for 5 hens generally does not work out for the hens. I would have a plan B ready to go for the roosters.

Mrs K

 

[khind]

I agree with Ridgerunner - let them work it out. Eventually on their own terms, they will all roost in with the big hens.

I have had my hens just forget their chicks, overnight. Done with that. But if the flock is used to the chicks it is not a problem. The chicks are tolerated sub flock and will be until they begin to lay. Because of that, they need to give way to the older birds. That is chicken society.

I love a multi-generational flock, but I do have a large run, a lot of hide outs, multiple feed stations, roosts, platforms all which allow lower class birds to get out of sight and away from other birds for a while.

The best chance in my experience of having two rooster is a father / son. However, in reality two roosters for 5 hens generally does not work out for the hens. I would have a plan B ready to go for the roosters.

Mrs K

My original plan was to cull any cockerels, unless by some miracle somebody I trusted said they really need one. People fight them in my region. And my whole purpose of hatching chicks was to get more hens for the rooster, so with this small number I think it's just a pipe dream to keep any. I just got soft. I think it's best to go with my original plan. If new pullets & adults didn't have to be quarantined for so long, I'd try to hurry and add more hens from my trusted neighbor now.

 

[khind]

Photos of the coops and runs would have been more beneficial than photos of the chickens. We could better understand what you are dealing with.

1. Is this normal tough love? Or is it bullying?

Normal

2. Should I put the chicks & mom into the adult roost to start sleeping there right away?

I've had broody hens stop taking care of their chicks and wean them cold turkey, pretty much instantly. I've had broody hens take care of their chicks during the day but leave them alone at night. I've had broody hens abandon the chicks during the day but take care of them at night. I've had some wean them at three weeks, some wait as long as yours. Each hen weans her chicks her own way, nothing consistent about that.

I'd leave then alone and let them decide what they want to do. I'd expect the hen to soon join the rest of the flock at night and the chicks to keep sleeping where they are for a while.

3. Is it time to take down the screen wall & rejoin the 2 coops, or make sure they all get along for a while at night on the same roost first?

The way I understand it the entire flock had access to both coops and all runs during the day. I would not expect the chicks to sleep on the same roosts as the adults for months, not until they mature a lot more. I'd consider it a good thing for them to return to their old roosts at night for a while I'd wait until they have roamed with the adult flock for about a month before I tried moving them into the adult coop if they don't go in on their own. That's not a problem for me with my set-up, but I can appreciate taking care of them could be easier if you are only dealing with one coop.

I don't know how big your main coop is or how it is set up inside. My juveniles generally don't sleep on the main roosts until they mature, they find somewhere else to sleep. As long as it is not my nests and is predator safe I don't care where they sleep.

4. I wouldn't want the adult rooster to try to start mating with the chicks prematurely - could that happen if integrated at 10 wks?

A good rooster should not bother them until they are ready to lay. Mine don't. Cockerels are a different story.

5. I wanted to see if i might be able to keep this cockerel if he & the rooster can make an agreement, but maybe that's too much of a gamble with a flock this small?

That's a gamble with any flock of any size. It may work out, it may not. Some people have managed that with as few girls as you have, some have failed with over 20 hens. You can try it and go by what you see, but I'd have a Plan B ready in case I needed it. When you need it you generally need it immediately.

*Posting pics in a couple minutes!*

No, I never took down the screen that separates the 2 coops/runs, and I've only allowed the mom & chicks into the adults' side, never the other way around. (The side the little flock got happens to be the cooler side since it's on the east end, so I knew the head hen would never leave it, & she has a history of being extremely bossy so I didn't want to risk it.)
So they've all spent hours/day in the same yard for 4 plus weeks; the littles and mom have spent an hour/day in the adult coop because they wanted to - with the door open, so the other 2 adults would wander in and out, but opted to stay mostly out... So they've never all been confined indoors for more than maybe 30 min. a couple of times either.

I see I need to keep them separate without my supervision now because this a.m. my rooster called over a little with a treat, and started his dance, and I stepped in. I'm sure it has to do with his having only 2 hens, one of whom just returned from being a mom. The roo is about 12 months old.

 

[khind]

Pictures:
#1-3: The littles' coop is shingled, & smaller - The run is 10.5 ft long x 3ft wide, with a small coop/roost above.
#4-5: Today, chicks inside their home this a.m.
#6: Inside the adult run, looking into the small run. This was quite a while back, mom with them. Screen partition is still up today.
#7: Adult coop/run door stays open, littles' door is always closed, open only for them. Here the littles are hanging out in adult coop; Rooster came in to eat & drink a while. It's from 2 days ago - mom no longer raising them. The chicks often stand on that, side-turned foot stool in back, placed there as a hide.
** SCREEN MUST STAY UP because JUST THIS A.M. the rooster did a dance & started to make a move on one of the pullets while outside! **
#8: This is a hide I used when integrating this Roo last year. I'll set it up again so the chicks can have another spot whenever in there, supervised by me. Food set down on one side (either the L or R) of that log.