What is a grow out pen?

[misskris10]

We just recently got 7 new chicks. 5 of them are about 4 weeks old and the other 2 are about 2-3 months old. The group of the 5 younger, we got from 1 person, so they are in their own quarantine area. 1 of the 2-3 month olds we got from another person, so she is by herself and the other 2-3 month old is by herself. We were going to keep them there for a few weeks until we know they are free from disease and then put their pens closer so that they can get to know each other before we put them together in 1 pen. We have our older, original girls that are in the big coop with the big run area that we will eventually add the new girls to. BUT What is the point of the grow out pen? are they just in the grow out pen until quarantine is over and then they go in with the bigger girls (by the way the older girls are 12 and 17 weeks old). Or do they need their own area until the are a few months older? will the main coop/run need to become home for laying hens only, with a grow out area for everyone not laying? feeding will also be different for all the different ages. advice/input anyone?

 

[Michael OShay]

A grow out pen is a small pen used to isolate animals (chickens in this case) from the main flock (for various purposes). Younger chickens can be kept for awhile in a grow out pen so that the rest of the flock can get used to their presence before they are released into the main flock. Otherwise, the chickens in the main flock will readily attack them, maiming and even killing them. How long they should be kept in a grow out pen depends somewhat on the temperaments of your particular breeds and the ages of your birds, but for chickens of any breed and age, a minimum of at least two weeks is advisable. When you do introduce them to the main flock, you should do so at night and make sure you are there at daybreak so they don't get pecked to death. There is a good article on introducing new chickens to the flock at http://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/introducing-new-chickens