So this spring I received a box of chicks - several buff Orps, Aracauna, silkies & 5 white crested polish. I built a new 8x10 coop & moved them all in with the 4 older hens when they were old enough. The chicks are old enough to run from the older hens - but the polish are nearly blind with that big fluffy head & they are getting mauled. I'm selling the older hens this week (only 4 of them) and moving the polish into the vegitable garden. That is the only other fenced in area that will protect them from most predators (not the hawk though). Poor things are almost bald now - may be another year before those feathers come back. : (
I built a small 2x6 coop yesterday & moved the polish out to the garden. The plants are all well established so I dont think they will tear them up too bad. They now have a ton more room than all of the rest of the birds. You know - polish are not that smart. Even for a chicken.