what to do with Matilda. .plz help

[Tlco]

How do I introduce Matilda to my new baby bantams...she seam so lonely after the attack thought if I got some right way she would be ok with new ones...but she is mean to the new ones. I have a small coop really small how do I get them to be friendly . Phones to follow next.....

 

[Tlco]

This is Matilda she was so lonly after the other vanished but now she doesn't want to be friends she is mean to them how do I introduce them

 

[azygous]

It appears Madilda is four or five weeks old. Close?

The age difference is too great for you to just stick them all together and hope they'll be cool. You need to introduce them all gradually by placing them in a pen with separation to keep the small ones safe but so they all can still get to know Matilda and she them.

Unless you have your coop ready and can brood the chicks outdoors, you will need a double brooder. I suggest taping two cardboard appliance boxes together and cutting a pass-through into the common wall. Secure a wire screen over this opening so the chicks are separate but Matilda can still see them.

I would use the heating pad system for the new chicks so Matilda won't be affected by the heat since she no longer needs much heat at her stage.

If you can brood outdoors in a run or your coop, set up a safe pen for the smalls and let Matilda have the rest of the space. You should have reasonably nice weather for a while, so this is probably doable. (Read my article linked below this post on outdoor brooding.)

The chicks will soon become used to Matilda and she will come to accept them. You will have to play it by ear as to when to let the smalls mingle with Matilda, but somewhere around three or four weeks they should be ready to merge. The key will be plenty of room for all of them to interact without Matilda being able to trap any smalls to bully them. This is what older pullets do to younger pullets. It's just the way of chicken society. But they will cope with it as long as they have plenty of space and places to hop up to to escape.

 

[Jensownzoo]

x2

 

[Tlco]

@azygous

Didn't see link on outdoor brooding. As it is now they are in hen house portion of coop during the day and nice weather and Matilda runs in the run all day. At night I bring babies inside in a plastic tub in my bathroom with a small heater. At the moment Matilda can only hear them when they r in

house but I think I can put wire over door so they can see each other and remove when it's time for Matilda to do to bed. Do you think that will wrk for now?

 

[azygous]

Here's the link. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/reasons-for-tossing-out-your-indoor-brooder-and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors

Sometimes the links don't appear when your computer is selecting a larger type face. It makes it so the post window doesn't all show up. If that ever occurs again, try reducing the size of the type on your screen, found under your "view" tool bar on your browser.

The key to integrating the new chicks with the older one is to provide maximum exposure so the two groups become used to one another. Sometimes, but not very often, you can merge two age groups that are just a few weeks apart by simply throwing them together, letting a little pecking to occur, and then they will quickly adjust and get long.

But Matilda is so much larger and older, the new chicks would be too vulnerable right now. In a few more weeks, especially after they get to know and understand Matilda's temperament, they will integrate much better. They need to be able to see her and interact with her through a safe barrier, not just listen to her. If you can rig a safe pen for the chicks and let them spend days with Matilda, that would be idea. It will also help harden the chicks to temperature cooling. They can handle short periods away from heat at first, extending as each week goes by. The more feathers they get, the longer they can handle away from a heat source.

 

[Tlco]

@azygous

OK separated Matilda from babies. She has run of the house and under the house. Babies have the other side with a heat lamp. Could not use heating pad hen..wouldn't work.

1st is lamp too low. Got under it ad soon as I turned it on. Don't have thermometer on hand..just don't want to start fire our nights are starting to get cooler at night.

2nd will use cord board or blanket at night on side to block wind

3rd i used chicken wire to seperate them but babies seam to like to stick their head thru to tease Matilda any other suggestions

4th it's dark now and they are peeping..will they settle down? Or will I need to bring em in for night and put them out in morn and get used to it a little at a time

Tring to get better pictures

 

[Tlco]

Matilda pic from top of house...she can roost on hen house at night she can fly or hop up.

 

[Jensownzoo]

They may continue to peep since the lamp prevents it from actually getting dark. Depending on how cold it is getting, you may want to consider getting a ceramic heat emitter (like they use for reptiles) for the night as it puts off no light and allows normal day/night sleep cycles. I had a 150W one thatvI used before switching to Mama Heating Pad. Unfortunately, it didn't put out enough heat to counteract the cold in Jan/Feb, but in TX for the next few weeks it would probably work.

 

[azygous]

As long as the chicks are protected from wind and cold drafts and rain from soaking them, they should be fine. As for the placement of the heat lamp, watch the chicks. If they don't spend any time under it, it may need to be raised. A thermometer placed directly under the lamp will tell you how hot it is on the ground where the chicks are. It should read between 85F and 90F the first week.

Jen is right about the peeping. Day and night is a desirable thing for baby chicks to allow them to sleep at night and establish those important rhythms. It's hard to do this with a heat lamp. I used to block the light at night with a dark cloth when I brooded indoors, but doing that outdoors risks a breeze blowing the cloth against the hot bulb and starting a fire.

What was the reason you nixed the heating pad? It's ideal for outdoor brooding. If you tell us, maybe we can help solve the problems you are having with it.