Today’s the day- chicks in the big coop

[happylittlehens]

It’s finally cooling down enough at night, I thought I’d try putting the littles in the big coop for a few hours this morning. The hens are very curious and the chicks are terrified! They’re piling up in a far corner unless I sit in there with them. If I stay in there, they will scratch and peck around the brooder. It’ll be a few weeks still before I try letting them out of the brooder. A couple of the hens are sitting in the nesting box above the brooder, watching them. How long will it take for them to get used to each other?

 

[Mrs. K]

Just lift this up so the chicks can get out and get in, but the hens cannot. Put it up on bricks and they will figure it out. I would not wait a couple of weeks. The smaller the chicks are, the easier they integrate.

Try letting them do it on their terms not yours. Setting it up so that the chicks can explore and retreat, is more like how a broody hen does it. If you are nervous, sit out there, and either chase off a too close hen or chase a little so that it retreats to the safety zone.

When I set up my 3 week chicks outside in the run with a safety zone, in a week they were integrated with the hens.

Mrs K

 

[happylittlehens]

I would not wait a couple of weeks. The smaller the chicks are, the easier they integrate.

I would rather not wait either, but there are some areas of the run that they can squeeze through and we have feral cats in the neighborhood. I would close them in the coop but then the hens can’t get in to lay. It’s not optimal, but it’s what I have to work with at the moment.

 

[Dmontgomery]

You may have already heard this but chickens are instinctively afraid of anything over their heads. The chicks will be terrified of the hens any time they are in the nesting box. I assume you are limited on space so the box has to be there though.
If you could block off those spaces the chicks could get out of the run, @Mrs. K has the best idea to integrate them quickly.

 

[aart]

but there are some areas of the run that they can squeeze through and we have feral cats in the neighborhood.

This is why I lined my 2x4 run walls with 1/2" HC....also helped to hold in the deep litter I am starting to build up.

You may have already heard this but chickens are instinctively afraid of anything over their heads.

Yes, this is one reason why I suggested moving the nest off the brooder, or putting a solid roof on brooder. They might get used to it tho.

I'd give the chicks at least a week or two to get used to the new environment before giving them an access point to outside the brooder...meanwhile you can work on securing the run.

Isn't it nice to have them out of the house?!

 

[RWise]

How old are they?
When I incubate the chicks go to a brood house out side @ 2-3 days old. This is in full site of the flock, so the girls can visit them, but not touch. Here they stay until they are 5 weeks old, then at night they are moved to the coop. Outside the coop is an area fenced with 3x3 wire with feed for them (no feed in coop), extra water places, and many hiding places! The chicks pass through the 3x3 wire but the hens do not. They become just part of the flock very fast.

 

[happylittlehens]

How old are they?

They are just about 4 weeks now. I'm hoping to move them to the brooder in the coop for good this weekend. It's been so hot! I can't leave them in the coop during the day. I'm working on chick proofing the run right now so I can lift the brooder on bricks so they can come and go on their own. Thanks for your input!