Running the roost

[Kimothy]

Hey brains trust,

I live in melb suburbs and have 5 chickens.
We have a commercial coop that holds 5 chickens. We have 2 chockens that are 2 years and grew up together. We have acquired 3 new 16 week old chick's and have introduced them to the coop at nights. However my dominate hen won't allow the other 3 up to roost at night and they have been sleeping on the lower floor. We are finding best way to make a roosting bar the 3. My concern is We are heading into Autumn and the new pullets are sue ro start laying in the coming weeks. Concerned with them not having access to the roosting area where the nesting box's are We will be having issues with overall health and the girls lay.

Any advice on better ways to integrate them?

 

[DobieLover]

Welcome to BYC.

We have a commercial coop that holds 5 chickens.

I assume this means you have a pre-fab coop. Please post pictures of your setup.

We have acquired 3 new 16 week old chick's and have introduced them to the coop at nights.

This is not the proper way to integrate new birds.
They need to be kept in a large area with their own coop if yours is too small to divide (and I think it is). The original hens need to be able to see the pullets. After being exposed to each other this way for about 10 days, you can remove barriers. However, they need SPACE. You need to have 4 sq ft of space and 1 linear foot of roost per bird in the coop. 1 nest box per 4-5 hens. You also need as close to 1 sq ft of permanently open ventilation per bird as you can manage.
The run needs to offer 15 sq ft per bird and it shouldn't be a big barren area. Add dry organic matter for them to scratch around in and branches/stumps/old wood stools or chair for them to jump up on to preen or just rest. You'll need multiple feed and water stations spread far apart so the pullets can get access to food and water without one of the hens driving them off.
Peace at roost time is a fantasy but there should be enough space so lower ranking birds can find a spot for the night away from the bossy ladies.

Concerned with them not having access to the roosting area where the nesting box's are

Roosts should be set higher than nest boxes. Again, photos will help.

 

[Mrs. K]

Pullets as they come into lay, will rise in the pecking order, and this problem will solve itself.

An easy fix, is to use a piece of cardboard to divide the roost into two parts. At night, you might have to manually move the big girls to one side, and the little girls to the other. Eventually the cardboard will wear out, but generally by that time the pullets are laying, and will be fine with the other hens.

However, what are the dimensions of coop or better yet a picture, Dobielover has a valid point, in that there might not be enough room. So many of the pre-fab coops grossly over estimate the number of birds that will 'fit' in the space.

A general rule of thumb is 4 sq feet in coop, 10 sq feet in the run per bird. 5 birds - 20 sq feet so 4 x 5 foot coop, 5 x 10 for the run is considered a bare minimum. Smaller coops make integration much harder.

Mrs K

 

[Iluveggers]

Do you have a picture of the inside of your coop? Easier to give suggestions if we can see what you are working with!