Temporary Coop to integrate chicks

[JCRbrahmas]

Hi there. I was wondering if there are designs or ideas on a temporary coop to help me integrate my 3 new chicks (2 welsummer and 1 ameraucana - All born April 1 2015) into my existing flock of 3 dark brahmas and 1 cuckoo maran (born May 1, 2014).

Here is a picture of the existing run-coop set up. From what I understand, the new chicks that were born on April 2 will require about 3 months to be integrated with the others.

I have a temporary pen in the house (below - pre-chicken wire) that I might just put inside the large chicken run with a roof, water, some food and a perch. The idea being they could live there in months 2-3, and when they get 3 months old, I would then take that out.....

Obviously I have a problem with the door on the run being too small. Ugh.

Any thoughts, suggestions, or links to a thread where this has already been discussed?

Thank you

Justin
Seacoast NH!

 

[PapaChaz]

I recently had the need to section off part of my run for 'protection area' also. I wound up buying some of the green plastic garden fencing. At Home Depot, a roll that's 40" tall and 25' long was $7.97. I bought some 1/2" pvc pipe, some cable ties and landscape cloth staples.

I determined I needed mine to be 6 ft tall to be able to angle from the top of my run to the ground. I cut 4 pieces of the pvc 6t long. I stretched the roll of plastic fence out and cut it in half, then laid it side by side on the pvc pipe, overlapping the edge 8" to make it 6 ft tall. I used 4 pieces of pvc, and zip tied the fence to it, rolled it up and went in the run. I stood it up. zip tied around the end of the pvc and the wire on the top of the run, unrolled it and did the same. Then put the landscape cloth staples in the ground to stake it down. I can easily pull a few staples and move the bottom out of the way if I need access, and when it comes the time it's no longer necessary, I can cut the zip ties, pull the stakes, roll it up and store it under the coop. The big kids paced along it at first and finally gave up without too much effort to get to the smaller chicks. I think it's more the visual blockage than physical, but I won't tell them that!

here's a pic:

you can see I just folded the fence around the end and tied it off to the wire run. Also, one of the pop doors opens from the coop into that section. I have my brooder/quarantine cage setup under my roost/poop board with access to that pop door. I can also remove the door from it and store when not needed:

the fence, the pvc, zip ties and landscape staples total were less than $20 and just a few minutes to assemble and zip tie in place.
Something like that might work for you

 

[JCRbrahmas]

Thank you. I like your set up. At what age do you stop separating the chicks from the adults using this set up?

 

[PapaChaz]

somewhere around 16 to 17 weeks they're getting pretty close to being the same size. With my last flock, I had a similar setup to what I have now and let them all together about 12 weeks. There was the typical, "I'm boss hen, you remember that" stuff that happened for the first few days but once everyone knew their place, it was one big happy family.

I have mine separate now, even though they're all chicks. I have 4-5-6-7 week olds. The 6 and 7 week olds are all blue ameracaunas I bought the same time. They've always been together and no problems. When I bought the other six, 3 Leghorns were a week old and the Australorps where just hatched. Last week I moved the little ones out, and the oldest blues ran those poor aussies all over. Wouldn't let them eat or drink, so I went ahead and installed the brooder cage and temp fencing. The first few days the blues paced the fence trying to get to the little ones but they pretty much ignore it and them now. I think being able to see each other definitely helps.

I'm going to give it another week maybe and then pull part of the fence back and watch for a while. if all goes smooth I'll take it out


oh yeah,

 

[Blooie]

I brooded my chicks in the run from the get-go. Actually the older 11 were one week old when they went out, and I added four more day-olds out there the day we got them. I set up an old dog's x-pen in one section of the run, stuck in a heating pad, and called it good. They've been able to see each other the entire time and every time I'm out there I crack open their pen and they mingle. Been doing that since they were just over 3 weeks old and 4 weeks old, respectively, and have had some minor "reminding of manner's by the older birds but nothing serious. I have a new batch of chicks on the way, and they'll need the outside brooder pen, so yesterday I had the Littles out with the Bigs all day long, in preparation for booting them from the nest. Right now the pen is cracked open just enough so the Littles can get back in if they need to but the Bigs can't follow. My setup looks similar to PapaChaz's.



The outside brooder. It has been in the 20s here at night. They thrived.


Gladys checking out the babies.


Out ranging almost every day since they were 2 weeks old....they are now 4 and 5 weeks old. They will be booted from the pen today or tomorrow.


Introductions went so well! Agatha, Daphne, and Mathilda with the Littles.

 

[JCRbrahmas]

Happy chicken pictures! Here are my 3 little ones.