Red Partridge Orpington informational hatch thread

[BigBlueHen53]

They do kinda, couple lumps there.
Post a new thread in disease with closer pics.

Thanks, will do.

 

[K0k0shka]

It's been about a month since I started integrating the chicks, of which the last 3+ weeks they have been mingling freely with the hens without any dividers. There are one or two hens that like to chase the chicks around and harass them occasionally, but usually without making contact, so nothing to worry about. Most of the time they ignore them. The chicks avoid the hens, but my space is big and varied enough that they can hang out and have stuff to do without being close to them. The three chicks are inseparable, always doing everything together, and if one gets separated for some reason, she hauls a$$ and flies if she has to, but gets back to her sisters right away The former broody is the most tolerant of them (probably because she had chicks recently?) so they allow themselves to get pretty close to her, but that's about it. Overall, the chicks look happy. I'm very happy with how smoothly that went!

One part of integration I have not done yet is the coop... They know the coop and spend time in the coop, and like climbing on everything and exploring, but they still sleep in the brooder in the house. With the exception of blue foot's butt, they are fully feathered, and it's hot outside, so I'm not worried about heat, but I'm still nervous about leaving them in a confined space with the hens. I might have missed my window of opportunity for an escape door, if I were to section part of the coop off. I tried that last week, and I can't find a size that's big enough for the chicks to fit through, but not so big that my smallest hen cannot. Also, the bigger hens try to squeeze their giant butts through as well, and get stuck So maybe that's not gonna work... The chicks have a roost in their brooder, but don't use it. I made a huddle box/table for them in the coop, but they don't seem interested. They like playing on the big roosts, and can get up there no problem. I have 3 roosts - the top one where the hens sleep is 4' off the ground, the middle one is about 2.5' off the ground, and I have a baby roost less than a foot off the ground. They are all in the same part of the coop though, in a stepped/ladder formation. I was thinking they'd all sleep there, with the main flock on the top roost and the chicks either on the middle or on the bottom roost, but they might be too afraid of the hens to sleep in that part of the coop at all. So I'm thinking of making a new roost on the other side of the coop for them. And maybe setting the auto door to open really really really early, so that everybody can go out as soon as they wake up and not spend any time closed up in the coop. One of my hens won't let the chicks come within 2 feet of her (doesn't peck them, just chases them and growls menacingly). They are terrified of her, and run at the sight of her. So I'm worried that if they find themselves confined in the same space with her, they'd freak out and hurt themselves flying up at the walls The coop is 5x7 and I have 5 hens and the 3 chicks, so it's not small, but still. What would you guys recommend I do? I like having them in the house, and they do still spend the whole day outside, they only sleep in our house at night, but I should probably get them used to the coop soon.


Here's the baby roost at the bottom of the roosting area (the roosts are staggered, so nobody poops on anybody's back).

And the two higher roosts:

The chicks also like jumping up on the nesting box. I have never ever seen the hens up on the nesting box, for some reason. None of them are good or willing jumpers/fliers so I'm thinking if the chicks go up to escape, the hens likely won't follow.

 

[aart]

I might have missed my window of opportunity for an escape door, if I were to section part of the coop off. I tried that last week, and I can't find a size that's big enough for the chicks to fit through, but not so big that my smallest hen cannot.

Yeppers.

The coop is 5x7 and I have 5 hens and the 3 chicks, so it's not small, but still.

Well, it is kinda small for 8 birds, and definitely small for integration,
but you work with what you've got.

So I'm thinking of making a new roost on the other side of the coop for them.

Great idea!

 

[K0k0shka]

Well, it is kinda small for 8 birds, and definitely small for integration,
but you work with what you've got.

Should be fine for 8 birds according to the chicken rules of 4 square feet per bird in the coop, BUT, that's 8 birds that get along well... which mine don't yet Our favorite chicken dying last year sort of threw me into this unplanned loop of chicken math, hatching new chicks to keep in his memory. Otherwise I was gonna stick with 5 hens in a 5x7 coop and have lots of space. Good thing I built it bigger than what 5 hens would technically need! I may still thin the flock down at some point. The hen that the chicks are terrified of is first on the list.

I'll make a new roost for them and put it over the huddle box, so they can use whichever they like.

 

[aart]

Should be fine for 8 birds according to the chicken rules of 4 square feet per bird in the coop, BUT, that's 8 birds that get along well... which mine don't yet

Exactly...then there is winter with no roofed run.

 

[K0k0shka]

Exactly...then there is winter with no roofed run.

Don't you remember my awesome umbrella setup though? I've got winter covered (covered - see? )

 

[K0k0shka]

Chickens are weird animals. We’re going through a heat wave and the central air in the house doesn’t work, so it’s in the 80s inside (despite window units). The heat in the MHP is still on, and the chicks end up sleeping sprawled out on the sand during the night, but they still ALWAYS start the night off stuffed under there, with their necks stretched out, panting… Whyyyy? I should turn it off, but I just want to see how much longer they’ll keep going under I guess if there’s no mother to actively wean them, they’ll just keep stewing under the heat…

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Creatures of habit?

 

[K0k0shka]

Creatures of habit?

Absolutely.

 

[K0k0shka]

The smallest chick with the blue feet was one of my assisted hatches. She wouldn't have hatched on her own and was horribly stuck inside the egg, all dried out from having tried for so long. I'm so glad I saved her. She's my cuddliest, an absolute sweetheart, and perfectly healthy. I'm all for "natural selection" and "survival of the fittest", but if we leave it in nature's hands like those processes were meant to be. The moment we step in and introduce human factors, like the completely artificial process of hatching eggs in a styrofoam box after jostling them for thousands of miles on planes and trucks... well at that point everything changes, and we can't blame the chick for struggling with our interference. At that point, success depends more on us than on nature, because most of nature has been removed. So I will always try to save shipped eggs that are hatching in a human-made box. It only seems fair. Eggs that haven't flown and that are hatching under a broody can have nature and their mom figure it out.