Too smart babies!

[lesliedow]

I have been transitioning my chicks outside for the past week. I have set up a dog crate in the run so everyone can get to know everyone. I have been taking the babies out in the evening and dutifully putting them in a separate section of the coop for the night. It was all going really well so yesterday I decided to make a small opening so the babies could get out of the dog crate to explore but the big kids cannot get in to pester them.

I assumed I would have to take the babies out again and put them in their section of the coop for bedtime. BUT those clever birds totally blew me away! I went out last night to move the birds and all 4 of the babies had gone into the coop with the rest and were all tucked around the biggest and baddest hen! You know her, she's the one that picks on EVERYONE and is super snoopy to boot!

There she was with those 4 babies tucked around her glaring at me like "What? You have a problem with this????"

Gawd I LOVE chickens.

 

[sourland]

Is everything still fine this morning?

 

[Faraz1]

Is everything still fine this morning?

Asking the more important questions ! I hope it is !

 

[lesliedow]

Is everything still fine this morning?

Yes, definitely. I have spent more than a week with the babies in a crate. They still have access to this and the larger birds do not. This has gone without a hitch.

 

[lesliedow]

So 9 days later and the kids are fully integrated. I'm now integrating the last hatch of the summer and that is going well, too.

I think I have a workable process:
1) put a dog crate in the run and wrap part of it in machine cloth so the babies have somewhere the adults cannot reach them at all. (I had one hen who was sticking her head into the crate to get the baby food and peck the babies). I put the food and water where the chicks can get it but none of the others can if they reach through the bars. I also put a square of plywood on top of the crate over the area with food and watter so when the adult chickens jump on the crate they wont terrify the babies and poop in the food. Ugh.
2) Have the babies sleep in the coop in a private section. I use the nesting box in the Eglu for this, it has a door that closes. Each night after the coop door closes, I place the babies in this closed section. Each morning I move the babies to the dog crate and refresh the food and water.
3) Keep this for a week. I also give the babies the same treats at the same time as the adults. I try to treat them exactly the same so they will get that they are now part of this flock.
4) At the end of the week I open the baby-sized hole in the crate that I cut and kept covered with a square of machine cloth. (I keep the machine cloth door ready to zip tie over it if I have to keep them segregated).
5) I keep feeding and watering the babies in the dog crate for another week or so. You know you are done with this when the babies are fully integrated and leave and enter the coop morning and nights with the rest of the flock and enter and leave the dog crate not under stress. I also slow down the food in the crate so they have to venture out to get more.
IME this whole process takes about 2-3 weeks for chicks that are 3-4 weeks old.

 

[3KillerBs]

You should write an article on your method with good photos so people could duplicate your setup.

 

[lesliedow]

You should write an article on your method with good photos so people could duplicate your setup.

I'll do that! thanks for the suggestion.