Moving 5 wk chickens in with the big girls--two options input please

[justlearning]

I have 5 hens and 2 bantams (all one year old). I am looking to move my 8-5 week old pullets and 4 bantam pullets outside to the chicken yard. I have a 2 options. My husband build a bantam coop that currently noone is living in that I can move everyone into OR I can put the bantams in the bantam coop and the others in the main coop. If needed I can divide part of the main coop. The pullets are about the same size as my full grown bantams. I didn't know if it is best to divide them now since eventually the pullets won't fit thru the bantam door, or if I should keep the youngens together and in there own time they will move into the main coop.

 

[karlamaria]

you can not just move them in to any coop, you have to integrate these little ones to the older girls or they will get pecked to death. it takes time to do this and you have to be careful for your babies.
if your going to keep them in with the bantams you will have to slowly integrate in say like your yard so that they all can forage and yet you can get to them if the big girls want to peck them. never put them together until there all getting along or you will find some beat up chicks or dead chicks.

 

[ub1243]

i have been putting my little girls in with the big girls, in the tractor. but i use a ring of 4' hardware cloth to keep the peace.
tonight i let them get together, wasn't good.
big girls either held them down or pulled feathers from the neck.

it is going to take a while.

big girls got the beat down with my hat. they went in the coop and roosted.

try again this weekend.

 

[speckledhen]

I never, ever put chicks that young in with adults, even adults who are small ones. They can be pecked to death. The earliest I've ever put chicks in with adults who were not protected by a broody mama is 12 weeks of age, when they have a good size on them and can get away from the big ones.

 

[aceintoledo]

i have been putting my little girls in with the big girls, in the tractor. but i use a ring of 4' hardware cloth to keep the peace.
tonight i let them get together, wasn't good.
big girls either held them down or pulled feathers from the neck.

it is going to take a while.

big girls got the beat down with my hat. they went in the coop and roosted.

try again this weekend.

I can relate to the "wasn't good", I've been trying to keep the peace between my one year old girls and my 10 week old girls. I've been letting them run around in the back yard together but they just aren't ready to be buddies yet. Every once in a while the older hens decide they need to express themselves and do so at the youngsters expense. I was hoping that as the 10 week olds get bigger this will begin to resolve itself, it better because I really need to get everyone in the same house on the same diet or I may loose my mind. Anyone have an idea of when I may see all of my hens on the same roost holding wings singing kumbaya?

 

[bucky52]

i can relate,i have ten that are three months old.and i have three hens that are a 18 months.i have tried twiced to intergreat them.the three hens chase and peck them.(i have been told that its the pecking order thing)i have had them side by side for two months with chicken wire seperating them.now with all the chasing and pecking the young ones are terrified of them.they wil run and get up on the roost.my husband has told me to put them all together and just walk away.any imput will greatly be appreciated.

 

[silkiesnseramas]

i can relate,i have ten that are three months old.and i have three hens that are a 18 months.i have tried twiced to intergreat them.the three hens chase and peck them.(i have been told that its the pecking order thing)i have had them side by side for two months with chicken wire seperating them.now with all the chasing and pecking the young ones are terrified of them.they wil run and get up on the roost.my husband has told me to put them all together and just walk away.any imput will greatly be appreciated.

I will be watching closely to see what ideas come up here. My chickens' ages are similiar to yours. We have RIRs. 23 hens and one roo. They will be a year old the end of July. I hatched some eggs to figure out the incubator and ended up with five pullets and gave the roos away. Now the young ones are a few months old and I too am wondering how it will go when I try to put them together. Right now the big Reds free range on the other side of the fence in the back of the yard on 1 1/2 acres and the little Reds stay up front with my bantams. We have Reds that will fly over the fence and the little girls come over to play around them and they never care that there are the younger birds there, but they are used to there being chickens in the front yard. I don't know what they will think once those young Reds move into their stall with them. And to make it worse, someone just gave my MIL some two-week old Dominiques and she wants me to trade her some of hers for some of mine because she wants different colors and I don't think our Red hens are going to let some different colored chickens into their flock and we would only get two from her and they are so much younger! If it wasn't complicated enough, now it's trying to take another turn.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I am working on the same thing. We have year old hens and 7 week old hatchlings. Currently they are penned up with chicken wire between them at night and when unsupervised. The big girls free range at will during the day and we have begun letting the babies out with them while we are close by. We have a couple of Hens who really want to maintain their positions, and feel the need to let the babies know who is boss. Mostly we have just seen a good solid peck and the babies run. We figure that is a good lesson.

My concern is for when we remove the divider in the pen and the Hens feel like their space has been invaded. We are waiting another 4/5 weeks for that.

 

[bucky52]

being so young it could be a problem.my three hens are redstar sexlink.so they are not big chickens.the ten young ones are a mixed bunch.and some of them are as big as the hens.and they are no longer peeping.some are clucking and the roo is crowing.it is suggested to watch them for awhile to make sure things don't get to rough.it will be a stressful time i'am sure.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I have 5 hens and 2 bantams (all one year old). I am looking to move my 8-5 week old pullets and 4 bantam pullets outside to the chicken yard. I have a 2 options. My husband build a bantam coop that currently noone is living in that I can move everyone into OR I can put the bantams in the bantam coop and the others in the main coop. If needed I can divide part of the main coop. The pullets are about the same size as my full grown bantams. I didn't know if it is best to divide them now since eventually the pullets won't fit thru the bantam door, or if I should keep the youngens together and in there own time they will move into the main coop.

I think what most people suggest is to keep the same ages together. If the two coops are near eachother where the two groups can safely inspect one another for a while, that might make the merge easier at a later date. There will always be pecking, but as I have read before "no blood, no fowl".

( If you do see blood, definatly seperate.)