put my first chicks in with the group

[Centralflafred]

My Buff Orphington chicks are about 3 weeks old now and growing like weeds. I just put the first two in with the rest of the girls a few minutes ago after everyone is well into dreamland. Putting the two chicks on their own perch together caused them to settle right down and be quiet. the rest of the flock is in the other end of the coop some 30 ft. away. I'll get up in the morning about daybreak and see how they meet and greet one another.

 

[chicks4kids]

Hopefully the little ones have some sort of refuge.....they may be long up before you and be experiencing the wrath of the adults!

 

[Centralflafred]

I went out just as the sun was giving us a false dawn and most of the big girls were off the roost and walking around. One was still on the roost and when she saw me she came flying down. There is no actual refuge as such but the coop is chain link so the little ones can run in and out at will. The chicks were definitely uncomfortable and after being smacked on the back a few times they ran back out of the coop while I was standing there. The whole time the chicks were in the brooder box I had for them they were very skittish even though I handle them as much as I can. Today was different. I didn't have any trouble at all reaching down and picking up the chicks. They were perfectly agreeable to that idea. I then carried them back to the brooder box one by one.
At this point I would consider everything a success. No chicks lost. there was a brief introduction,the two chicks did spend all night on the outside roost. I'll try to make more progress tomorrow. I never thought of building a small structure inside the coop that will allow the chick to go and come at will but will exclude the big girls. That might work.

 

[Mrs. K]

I was thinking about just putting a length of PCV pipe with a 8 inch diameter in the coop. Something where the smaller birds could get into, and the bigger ones could not. What do you think?

 

[jossanne]

I have a wire dog kennel that I put chicks in to introduce them to the flock. I put it against one wall in the hen house so the chicks have a place where no one can peck them through the wire, and after the big girls start ignoring the little ones, I open the door a crack so only the little ones can go in the cage and they still have a refuge. I let the little ones out while I'm sitting out there in the coop, and babysit to make sure no one is picked on terribly. After a few tries at that, everyone seems to mix just fine.

This time, though, I've had my chicks in a separate pen outside. The big girls free range, and the birds have been able to see each other through the poultry wire on the door to get acquainted for the last few weeks. When I opened the door and let them out for the first time this week (they were 7 weeks old) there was no picking, and everyone seems to be mingling beautifully. But with my flock, there are ALWAYS new little ones being introduced, so maybe the girls are more used to it.

 

[Centralflafred]

This is something new here. My first batch of new chicks. The big girls are only last year's hatch so they're only a little over a year old themselves.