My approach to integrating new chicks - suggestions welcome!

[GemmaGA]

So with eggs in the incubator currently, I thought maybe I would share what I hade done last summer to integrate some EE chicks into my established flock, and hopefully the same approach will work for my new chicks. Any suggestions are appreciated.

A little info about my coop/run:
Coop is currently about 8' x 10' with multiple nesting boxes (6) and multiple roosting bars
Run is about 10' w x 40' l

Last summer, I had 3 EE chicks that I raised in a brooder (plastic storage tub). I had set up a large dog crate inside the run area of my coop/barn where my other chickens are with food/water for the chicks. Once they were old enough, I would take them outside and put them in the separate dog pen in the run for a few hours at a time. Then when they were big enough to stay outside and the weather was warmer, I kept the younger chickens in the pen in the run, and would them out into the run supervised for a few hours at a time.

Ultimately letting the pullets out to live amongst the larger flock once everyone seemed to be getting along. This worked really well for me.


Thoughts/suggestions for a better way to do this with the setup I have?

 

[MysteryChicken]

I raise mine until about 3½ to 4 months of age before moving to the adult coop. I like mine to be half the size of the adults so they do better.

I keep them in the bantam coop until they're too big for the coop.

 

[3KillerBs]

Here are two of mine from last year:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/setting-up-an-integration-facility.1496470/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/24483513

 

[Ridgerunner]

In what ways do you think it could be better? What do you want to improve on from last time? It sounds like it worked. Just because it did work last time is not a guarantee that it will again but it did work. That's a good track record.

There are things you could do differently but there is no guarantee any of them would work any better. Did you find a part of what you did too much work and are looking for some easier way? What are you trying to improve?

 

[GemmaGA]

In what ways do you think it could be better? What do you want to improve on from last time? It sounds like it worked. Just because it did work last time is not a guarantee that it will again but it did work. That's a good track record.

There are things you could do differently but there is no guarantee any of them would work any better. Did you find a part of what you did too much work and are looking for some easier way? What are you trying to improve?

I think it worked ok - I would probably use the same approach this time as well, just wondered if there was anything I should do differently? Overall I think it was successful - but I am kind of making some of this chicken stuff up as I go too