mydaisy
Songster
I know this question gets asked a lot and I am not new to integrating new chickens, but I also have never had a rooster involved in the equation. I have (7) six month old chickens (1 is a rooster). I have (7) seven week old pullets and I have raised them from 1 day old. They have been with the 6 month chickens for the last 4 weeks in their own enclosure in the run. In the past week or so, I have let them out of their pen to run freely and to observe behavior from the older ones. The babies get pecked at by my hens, but doesn't seem too aggressive. The rooster (who is actually a pretty good boy) does peck at them harder than the hens do, but at least he seems like it's more of a "don't come in my space" kind of peck. I have no where else to put the babies at night, so I bring them in my house at dusk to sleep in their brooder and take them back outside early in the morning. They are in a room closed off to the rest of the house, so it is not climate controlled and that is by design, so they will be more acclimated to the cooler temps we have. And of course they have not had any added heat on for them in the brooder for over two weeks.
I am just so scared to put them in the coop at night! I have read so many posts of little ones getting scalped and bloody by hens and roosters when they put them in the coop! But they NEED TO BE OUT OF THE HOUSE - I know this.
How would you integrate the babies with the older ones? Since I have done the "see but no touch" method for 4 weeks now, do you think they will be fine?
I am just so scared to put them in the coop at night! I have read so many posts of little ones getting scalped and bloody by hens and roosters when they put them in the coop! But they NEED TO BE OUT OF THE HOUSE - I know this.
How would you integrate the babies with the older ones? Since I have done the "see but no touch" method for 4 weeks now, do you think they will be fine?