Need Help on moving chicks out

[ruth]

I'm probably the only odd-ball on here that puts day-old babies outside in Chick-N-Hutch inside my fenced coop/run area. Of course it was August in New Orleans so it was blazing hot during day and no lower than high 70s at night but still - no heat light - just a hay bottom in hutch so their little feet wouldn't fall through the wire. And then, let them start free ranging at a week old. At first I would let my batch of 3 month old and 4 months olds out of the run for their day of free ranging. Then I would open the Chick-N-Hutch and let the babies have the whole huge (30'x60') run to themselves. Believe me if I didn't open the door to that hutch I had four little mad peepers sounding off and pacing back and forth in front of door. Ruth used to always hang around the run when the others took off each day and she took to the babies from day one. Within a couple of days she was following them around the run like an old mother hen and she was only 3 months old herself. If one of the babies strayed too far she was right there herding it back with the others.

For about 2 weeks I kept this up. Then I started letting the big girls in run, while I was there, for the noon feeding and evening feeding and leave the babies out. Believe me the babies learned to run, stay out of big girls way, and were fast and could duck under everyone else's bodies. None of my girls have ever really fought or pecked each other or pulled one another's feathers out. I think they are too busy free ranging and too tired when they return to coop each night - they go straight to roost.

Anyway, did this interaction thing for another week and continued to put babies back in pen each night. But babies got really smart and started to run from me. They knew I was going to put them up. Ever tried to catch a 3 week old chick? Man are they fast and can zig zag. So I started leaving hutch door open just like I leave the coop door open. At first babies were going into hutch to sleep and Ruth was going into coop with others. I would go out later and close up hutch (coop was always left open). One night I went out and OMG the hutch was still open but NO babies. I looked in coop and there they were - curled up on floor of coop with Ruth. There they stayed from that day forward and each morning they were let out with the others. They had officially become "big girls" at 3 weeks old. This month my "Baby Buffs" began building nests and laying eggs of their own. They like to follow their mama, Ruth, to the stables and build nests in there with her and lay their little pullet eggs there.

Long story - but I try to raise my girls as close to nature as possible with lots of exercise from free-ranging all day and so far not only have I not lost any to predators (a couple of great dogs patrolling property and hanging out with chicks is key to that) I haven't experienced any illnesses, or fighting/pecking issues, or egg bound, or prolapse. Not bragging, just offering an alternative for all of those who think babies must be raised in a brooder till they start college. I figure if I had to turn my real babies (the ones I birthed) out into the world, I could force myself to turn my baby chickens out. It's so enjoyable to see them all running all over the place I can't imagine having them locked up.

 

[chickenranchwife]

Last spring when it was time to put the kids in the coop I fenced off an area, and kept them where the big girls could see them. This way they could check out each other. Then I built a little fenced in area behind the coop. I let the big girls out first, and then let the little one's out seperately and locked them out, as my hens needed the coop to lay in. This year I may be setting up a different coop for my little one's that are coming. I will use the right side of this barn to make a coop for my newer ones.

 

[SweetLilRachy00]

Thanks guys! I made the larger pen for the hens and roo, but they kept getting out somehow. SO I put it back how it was, and I'm just going to make a small pen for the silkies, right next to the other coop so they can see each other. This will help during the days and I will try at night a couple times.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Gonzo the Great]

Quote:
Still considering such a tractor design feature where the coop would have a chicken wire (large wire openings) on the floor open to the ground below. This coop would be constructed on a tractor framed with .25" hardware cloth. So, I could do it since the protection would be good, but what about the cold nights? Maybe it should be okay since they are about 5 weeks old now, next winter, they will be older and could probably handle the weather plus a layer of pine needles to block the strong drafts. Any suggestions?

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Still considering such a tractor design feature where the coop would have a chicken wire (large wire openings) on the floor open to the ground below. This coop would be constructed on a tractor framed with .25" hardware cloth. So, I could do it since the protection would be good, but what about the cold nights? Maybe it should be okay since they are about 5 weeks old now, next winter, they will be older and could probably handle the weather plus a layer of pine needles to block the strong drafts. Any suggestions?

The hutch has a small-hole hardwire cloth bottom and is raised a couple of feet off the ground. I used the same method in the big coop I built (see my coop page). It worked great in the hot, humid, rainy tropical weather we had in New Orleans. I did not put hay on bottom of coop except the very rare night we had near freezing temps. It was great to be able to hose the bottom of the coop and all the poop fall through to ground beneath. I used hay on the hutch floor till the chicks were about 3 weeks old and moved themselves into the big coop with their adopted mama Ruth - by then their feet were big enough not to fall through small holes.

However, large hole chicken wire would be a different issue. You wouldn't want even the large chickens to be walking around on that - it could be dangerous for their feet. If you are building the tractor out of hardware cloth go ahead and use it on bottom as well or leave it bottomless and let the ground serve as the bottom wherever you move it that way they could scratch, dig, dirt bathe to their hearts content.