Think I made a mistake while attempting to integrate my pullets into the flock.

[nab58]

I have six red sex links that are over a year old. Everyone gets along.

I also have 3 Easter Eggers that are about 9 weeks old. The EE's have been on a separate coop within the main coop for two or 3 weeks now. Today I opened the door to see if they'd come out and free range with the others. They would come out of the main coop so (here's my mistake) tried throwing them some mealworms to entice them out into the lawn. Well, my big girls immediately attacked the little ones because food was involved. No injuries thankfully.

I guess next time, I'll just let them scratch around and not bring out any food. Not sure how I'll get them back in the coop though as I've always thorn a handful of BOSS in and they come running.
Does that mean I'll always have to feed them separate?

 

[CrazyChickGirl]

It's a common scenario even when food isn't involved. The longer you can wait (and the bigger the chicks are) the less damage.

 

[nab58]

Thank you.

So you'd recommend leaving them in their grow out coop until they're about the same size as the big girls? I will need to get them sleeping in the big coop by the time cold weather gets here (sept/October) otherwise I can keep them separate until then.

 

[nab58]

This is the set up. The babies are in an enclosure within the main run.

You can see the chick enclosure in the back right. We built it inside the main run and puta pre-fab hutch type raised box for the chicks to sleep in.

To the left is the main coop that I want them to eventually all roost in.

 

[azygous]

What a perfect set-up for making the grow-out coop into a "panic room"! This is how I integrate chicks, and I begin very early around four weeks of age. The chicks need a safe area to retreat to.

You're already set up to convert the chick pen into a safe enclosure where the chicks can zip into when chased or bullied by the big girls. All you need to do is cut some pop holes around five inches in width and around eight inches high. Line the edges with something to protect the chicks from any sharp wire edges. I've taken thin plywood and cut it a bit larger than five by eight, cut out an oval 5"x8", and installed a hinged flap on it so I can close the pop hole if I want to keep the chicks in their enclosure.

The chicks will then be able to come out into the main run and explore and to integrate themselves, at their own pace, into the existing pecking order. Believe me, they learn very quickly to race back inside the minute they get bullied! Keep their food and water inside so they don't need to compete with the big girls.

By the time they get too large to fit through the pop holes, they've already found their place in the flock.

Integrating them into the main coop is simple, too. Choose a day to do it, and install them in the main coop after the big girls are finished laying. Let them explore the coop and at dark, put them on a perch far from where the big girls roost. Then let the big girls in.

Next morning, the chicks will get chased out into the run, and they will know to immediate run into their panic room. But to get them to get used to sleeping in the main coop, you'll have to remove their chick coop from the panic room.

It takes a bit longer for the chicks to get used to going into the main coop to sleep, but the sooner you can make the switch, the better.

 

[nab58]

Thank you for the feed back, it's really helpful.

They do already have a hiding place....they can fit in the crack on the side of the chick coop when the door is open which gives them access to underneath. The hens are too big to fit thru the crack.

So if I put them in the big coop to sleep, the hens will kick them out in the morning? I'm almost afraid to just throw them in there forfear they'll get hurt.

Here you can see the crack to the right that allows them to hide under the chick coop.

 

[azygous]

That works for right now, but how wide is it? Will they be able to keep using the crack for another six weeks?

What I have are small pop holes all over the place in my partitioned run. The chicks have all kinds of foils to ward off the adults, and they get very adept at navigating the holes at warp speed. The more escape hatches, the better, so the babies can't end up getting trapped by a couple big bullies.

Don't worry, there won't be a blood bath in the morning when everyone wakes up together. What you will do is accustom the babies to the big coop for a few days prior to moving them in by locking them up inside it after the hens finish laying. Or you can give them a dose of the big coop for a few hours each day before the hens need to go inside and lay.

The idea is to get them used to their new coop in small doses so when the big night comes, they won't be afraid to be there. In the morning, there may be a small ruckus when everyone is scrambling to go out into the run. But the babies will scoot to safety inside their safe pen.

While you will want to continue to feed and water them in their little pen, you'll need to get rid of their baby sleeping quarters or they will refuse to consider the big coop as home.

 

[nab58]

No, they won't be ableto use the crack for the next six weeks....good point.

I'll have to enlist my boys to fashion some doors in the hardware cloth. I guess we could just clip an opening and pull back the screen. Like you mentioned before I'll have to be sure there's no sharp edges. Ifi do outright then I won't haveno worry about them.
I can remove the baby house when I move them into the big coop. It's actually worked out quite well. I'm happy we chose the coop design we did.

Thanks for all your advice.