So far so good.. I think... Wondering if subflocks will combine on their own into the main coop?

[Mrs. K]

Wow, really? I would have thought they would venture over. Chickens will make a liar out of you!

AT 15 weeks, I would just shut the little coop up, and check at dark. Wait till it is pretty dark, but not quite where you can't see, but close to it. It will make catching them easy. Just put in the coop, not the roost. Might have to do it a couple of nights.


Mrs K

 

[bayareapilot]

Thanks! I was starting to get concerned only because I had read that sometimes Sapphire gems can start laying kind of early around 16 weeks or so. I'm the remote chance that perhaps I had some hens that might possibly lay earlier, I didn't want them to be in the little mini Coop which is not equipped for four well grown pullets looking for a place to lay at some point.

The next day or two I'll do what you suggest. Figure Wednesday cuz that's when they're 15 weeks old. Although I guess I could just as easily do it tomorrow evening it's not that precise. you can probably tell I'm a little hesitant and probably for no good reason. Just kind of being the overly motherly henlike. They seem to be doing fine in the run in all fairness they do get picked on frequently but not a lot - they're not chummy with the rooster but the rooster doesn't go out of his way most of the time to bother them. I guess for me it's thinking about that big giant rooster who always sits at the top of the roosting ladder, I'm thinking oh boy he could cause trouble for these little ones if he wanted to. Likely just worrying unnecessarily. Cool thing I sort of have a high-tech coop I have a couple of cameras in there (as well as throughout the Run) better attached to security DVR so I can actually see what's going on since it has both infrared and normal light capability.

Come to think of it maybe Tuesday evenings the best bet because I probably won't get any sleep late into Tuesday evening into early Wednesday morning anyway. I don't flight instruct on this Wednesday so maybe it's better I'd be sleepless then.
Again I'm sure it'll be just fine they're much bigger than they were before and they have to get used to the regular coop because the mini Coop has kind of outlived its usefulness now that they're bigger.

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[Mrs. K]

If you have an old biddy, that is too mean (sometimes you do) roosters are much more tolerant of pullets that biddies. If you get one that is being mean in the coop, put HER in the little coop. That will cool her jets, and leave her there a day or two.

Yesterday, I swear I saw Bye, my rooster, step in between my top hen and a pullet, I swear I saw him look at her and say, "now, Martha, lets be good to the girls!". He is a really good rooster.

Mrs K

 

[Mrs. K]

Let me know how it went!

 

[bayareapilot]

Let me know how it went!

Will do I decided not to put it off any longer there's no reason to - I'm going to do it tonight. I figure I'll put the four bullets into the little carrier I use to transport chicken sometimes they've been in it before. Then I'll head over to the main door of the coop activate the door and open the opening of the pet carrier and kind of quide them onto the floor of the coop. I figure once they work things out they'll eventually figure out where they can go on the roosting ladder. Would be lying if I didn't say I was a bit nervous about it but it's got to be done. It's just one works so hard to get them to the ages that they are, so you you don't want to see anything happen to them..

 

[bayareapilot]

If you have an old biddy, that is too mean (sometimes you do) roosters are much more tolerant of pullets that biddies. If you get one that is being mean in the coop, put HER in the little coop. That will cool her jets, and leave her there a day or two.

Yesterday, I swear I saw Bye, my rooster, step in between my top hen and a pullet, I swear I saw him look at her and say, "now, Martha, lets be good to the girls!". He is a really good rooster.

Mrs K

I did have that one thought. There's one or two that could be an issue although there's specifically one I'm thinking of. Thankfully typically roost a little further up the ladder. Thanks for the suggestion though. The whole reason too for the mini Coop besides initial little spot for a little ones to grow up and it said also serves as a nice isolation Coop when necessary..

Thank you much for all the feedback and info.

You know what's interesting about the four pullets is that they get along really well with the hen that's at the top end of the pecking order on the roosting ladder in the coop. They perch side by side they sit side by side it's actually the individuals lower in the pecking order that seem to bother them now and then.

 

[bayareapilot]

I did have that one thought. There's one or two that could be an issue although there's specifically one I'm thinking of. Thankfully typically roost a little further up the ladder. Thanks for the suggestion though. The whole reason too for the mini Coop besides initial little spot for a little ones to grow up and it said also serves as a nice isolation Coop when necessary..

Thank you much for all the feedback and info.

You know what's interesting about the four pullets is that they get along really well with the hen that's at the top end of the pecking order on the roosting ladder in the coop. They perch side by side they sit side by side it's actually the individuals lower in the pecking order that seem to bother them now and then.

Now hopefully that serves some well when they're in the same coop instead of on a perch in the open run.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You know what's interesting about the four pullets is that they get along really well with the hen that's at the top end of the pecking order on the roosting ladder in the coop. They perch side by side they sit side by side it's actually the individuals lower in the pecking order that seem to bother them now and then.

Very normal. Top ranked birds know they can beat up the younger ones so they often don't bother to do anything to them or simply ignore them. Low ranked birds don't want to slip further down the ranks, so it's in their best interest to try and keep all the younger ones below them.

 

[bayareapilot]

Let me know how it went!

Update.... just woke up as I usually do for some odd reason around 2am.. will fall asleep shortly... Anyway, just wanted to mention that I installed the pullets into the main coop after 9:30pm last night. No issues... The only sound (crowing) I heard from the rooster when he overheard the little bit of noise the pullets made when I was lifting them into the carrier. Had to bring them in the carrier two at a time (I remember when all of them fit into the same carrier easily) and then opened the automatic door and unzipped the top of the back of the carrier and gently guided them in through the open door of the coop. Then I closed the door and got the next two and repeated.

When I got back inside I looked at the feed from the fisheye camera on the ceiling of the coop and reviewed what was currently going on and watched the earlier recording of when I installed them. No one in the coop seemed ruffled up about the situation. They were curious but rather quickly they all went back to sleep. I think it helped a LOT that they had been exposed to the pullets in the large run for nearly 9 weeks come Wednesday. I figure they were familiar with their scent AND since the pullets had been around the main coop door (and twice ventured inside) so they were familar with the scent of those surroundings.

Of course, the upcoming 'event' will be when the morning comes and morning light starts to illuminate the inside of the coop through the vents. Then I suspect there will be a little (hopefully) issue when everyone starts to see the pullets and visa versa. In regards to the latter I have mulitple lower and upper roosting bars and floor locations the pullets can go to stay above the potential fray. Thankfully (or not) with the camera feeds I can monitor to what extent the interactions occur. The door is operated by a detector that measures ambient light (I use the metal Chickendoors.com doors - used these for MANY yearws). I had the remote light sensor (on a long cable) in a shaded area so that it would have a slightly later opening. Considering the situation, I (earlier in the evening, yesterday) I temporarily moved the light sensor so that it will receive more light sooner. I figured for the first week of this integration into the coop that it wouldn't hurt to have the door open a little earlier than it usually would - just for the benefit of the pullets,,, while everyone accilimates to everyone in the main coop.

Looks like I feel sleepy enough to fall back asleep again! Hoepfully when I wake up in a handful of hours again, there will only be a modicum of 'adventure' in the coop when morning light gives everyone a better view of one another.

Will update....

 

[bayareapilot]

Update.... just woke up as I usually do for some odd reason around 2am.. will fall asleep shortly... Anyway, just wanted to mention that I installed the pullets into the main coop after 9:30pm last night. No issues... The only sound (crowing) I heard from the rooster when he overheard the little bit of noise the pullets made when I was lifting them into the carrier. Had to bring them in the carrier two at a time (I remember when all of them fit into the same carrier easily) and then opened the automatic door and unzipped the top of the back of the carrier and gently guided them in through the open door of the coop. Then I closed the door and got the next two and repeated.

When I got back inside I looked at the feed from the fisheye camera on the ceiling of the coop and reviewed what was currently going on and watched the earlier recording of when I installed them. No one in the coop seemed ruffled up about the situation. They were curious but rather quickly they all went back to sleep. I think it helped a LOT that they had been exposed to the pullets in the large run for nearly 9 weeks come Wednesday. I figure they were familiar with their scent AND since the pullets had been around the main coop door (and twice ventured inside) so they were familar with the scent of those surroundings.

Of course, the upcoming 'event' will be when the morning comes and morning light starts to illuminate the inside of the coop through the vents. Then I suspect there will be a little (hopefully) issue when everyone starts to see the pullets and visa versa. In regards to the latter I have mulitple lower and upper roosting bars and floor locations the pullets can go to stay above the potential fray. Thankfully (or not) with the camera feeds I can monitor to what extent the interactions occur. The door is operated by a detector that measures ambient light (I use the metal Chickendoors.com doors - used these for MANY yearws). I had the remote light sensor (on a long cable) in a shaded area so that it would have a slightly later opening. Considering the situation, I (earlier in the evening, yesterday) I temporarily moved the light sensor so that it will receive more light sooner. I figured for the first week of this integration into the coop that it wouldn't hurt to have the door open a little earlier than it usually would - just for the benefit of the pullets,,, while everyone accilimates to everyone in the main coop.

Looks like I feel sleepy enough to fall back asleep again! Hoepfully when I wake up in a handful of hours again, there will only be a modicum of 'adventure' in the coop when morning light gives everyone a better view of one another.

Will update....

Well it went just fine... the pullets did get a poke or two but hardly anything at all. Sandy the Rooster just seemed fine with it all. Big sigh of relief! So, I figure for a little bit that I'll probably have to do the night transports to the main coop from the mini coop until they get in the habit.

I will keep both automatic doors operating until they are reliably going back to the main coop. Easier to retrieve them that way. I figure when I have 3 of the 4 going to the main coop on their own I might close the auto door on the mini-coop. For now though I don't want to risk having to crawl under the large coop at night to retrieve pullets that may not have gone inside but went underneath for shelter since they weren't able to get into their mini coop. Much easier, I think, to do the transport until the majority of the four pullets head over to the main coop at night on their own.

So far so good!!!!