when can the be with the older girls

[Motherof4]

I have 13- 6week old chicks. they have been outside in a portable pin during the day and night now for a week. the older girls loves hanging around their cage. My first question is. When can I like them out with the older girls??? I had my husband build a larger coop for them all (14 older girls and 13 babies) we moved the smaller one off to the side and made a new run around the older coop. now the two runs and connected to each other with a gate that separates them the new chicks got moved into the new run today and they love the running room. This was I have a larger coop for all of them when I decided to put them together and will all ways have a separate run/coop for sick/ hurt chickens. OOO I also have 33 eggs in the incubator so hoping for more soon. My other question is How big do they need to be to free range with my three dogs? it seams like the dogs are interested in the babies.

 

[pdsavage]

I would put them with the girls when the younger ones are closer to the same size as the girls...The older hens will peck the heck out of the younger ones,so thats why its best to wait till they are bigger...
Remeber just because an animal is interested in another animal doesnt mean it has good intentions.....

 

[donnavee]

We have done exactly the same thing. Have 8 grown girls and expecting 6 babies in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping having the two coops and runs side by side will help lessen the stress upon integrating the 2 flocks. Time will tell and good luck!

 

[TXmom]

I guess I do things a little different...I integrate them a little at a time, completely supervised at first. My 12 babies are only 2 weeks old and I've already taken them in the back yard with the big chickens. The big ones are curious about them, and a few came real close, but never pecked. We were out there about 15 minutes or so. As they get bigger, I'll take them out for longer periods of time. By the time they're about 6-7 weeks old, they'll be outside most of the day. I did this with the last batch of 10 chicks I had last August, and it worked out great. There was a little bit of pecking, establishing the pecking order, but never any blood. Now those are all completely integrated and I'm working on the next batch. I do have 3 separate feeders so the big ones can't chase the younger ones away from the food.

 

[ChickenMama18]

We just introduced our babies to the one adult (Apache) who was so low in the pecking order we had to pull her out of the established flock. We have been monitoring Apache with them and she barely pays any attention to them and only occasionally pecks at them when they are in her way or something. That's mostly because of her personality. I wouldn't introduce the babies to the other adults though because I know they have potential to do serious damage. They did it to Apache and she was an adult over and over again which is why we had to pull her out and got these chicks for her so she wouldn't be alone.

This being said Apache has been able to free range with the other chickens. Our birds are also seperated by a gate so they can still see each other. We just put our babies out this week, and the youngest will need some time to grow up. The plan is to eventually let all the birds free range together so that the babies can get away if there are any issues. Over time if you had them free ranging nicely you could then try putting them all together. We won't be able to because they will still pick on Apache...but you probably could.

 

[Motherof4]

I thank you for all. I think that the babies like their new coop. I went out to check on all the girls late last night. The older one in their new coop,

roo and most of the girls were on the floor, one girl in the nest and three on the roost. When I looked in on the babies and their new coop they; were all up on the lowest roost. All looking good.

 

[ChickenMama18]

Quote:
Hurray!