When should I let my 7 week old pullets sleep with the flock?

[mydaisy]

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?

 

[WIchickMama]

I think if they aren't aggressively being attacked while mixed during the day AND you have enough roosting space they will be ok.

Roosting space is key, lower and higher levels can be helpful with younger chicks as well. You want them to be able to find a spot that isn't right up next to an older hen.

I have noticed that my younger ones (12 weeks) have gone into the coop and up to roost well before the older ones, starting from about 8 weeks.

There will be squabbles as they all figure out spots but it should work itself out in a couple weeks.

I would be sure to be out there right at daylight to let them out so that they aren't all cooped up together for too long in the morning.

 

[Becks Chicks]

I asked this question yesterday I have a similar situation with 11 seven week olds and 5 seven month olds. I'm going to remove my brooder that's in the run and place them in a wire crate inside the coop at night for the next week.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-outdoor-brooder.1553104/page-2#post-26270312

 

[mydaisy]

I think if they aren't aggressively being attacked while mixed during the day AND you have enough roosting space they will be ok.

Roosting space is key, lower and higher levels can be helpful with younger chicks as well. You want them to be able to find a spot that isn't right up next to an older hen.

I have noticed that my younger ones (12 weeks) have gone into the coop and up to roost well before the older ones, starting from about 8 weeks.

There will be squabbles as they all figure out spots but it should work itself out in a couple weeks.

I would be sure to be out there right at daylight to let them out so that they aren't all cooped up together for too long in the morning.

Ya, I do have roost space, but they are all level. I guess I will add one lower for the littles and see how that goes. Thanks!

 

[mydaisy]

I asked this question yesterday I have a similar situation with 11 seven week olds and 5 seven month olds. I'm going to remove my brooder that's in the run and place them in a wire crate inside the coop at night for the next week.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-outdoor-brooder.1553104/page-2#post-26270312

Yes, I have thought about doing this as well. I think for now, I will add another roost that is lower than the ones I have and see how this goes. I am not ruling out crating them inside the coop, either. I just worry about my 7 sweet little girls! Also, in the past I have always had a cockerel or two who would be feisty enough to handle the integration, but this time I truly have all girls and they are just so darn timid!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I would say 9 weeks depending on how cold it is. Also I like to have more chicks to introduce than current hens. Or at least 6 chicks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

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

At 6 months he isn't a fully mature rooster and the girls are probably not acting as mature hens yet. Their relative immaturity might be contributing to the problem. I like having a mature rooster in the flock when I integrate young chicks, my mature roosters tend to ignore the chicks but sometimes help take care of them. I think mature hens are less of a risk than immature pullets but less doesn't mean zero. That is not exactly what you are seeing.

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 assume this behavior takes place outside in the run. How big, in feet, is your run? A photo might help. What generally happens with mine is that immature chicks are likely to get pecked if they invade the personal space of the mature chickens, especially the hens. It doesn't take them long to learn to not invade that personal space. That sounds like what is happening. Mine generally form a separate sub-flock avoiding the adults. The older go wherever they wish, it's the chicks that have to avoid the older. Do yours have enough room to avoid or are they getting trapped in a dead end?

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 NEED TO BE OUT OF THE HOUSE -

I totally understand. How big is your coop in feet? Photos inside might help. Luckily they are old enough and acclimated so that cold weather is not a factor.

You could build a pen in the coop and house them in there for a week or so. The main purpose of that would be to teach them to go to bed in there when it gets dark. If the other method doesn't work this could be a fallback to get them out of your house.

The way I approach this is to lock the chicks in the main coop with the adults after they have shown they can roam outside together without getting attacked. I've had a couple of broody hens wean their chicks as young as three weeks, leaving them to make their way with the flock on their own. My brooder is in the coop so those chicks are raised with the flock. Those are making their way with the flock by 5 weeks. You didn't manage yours that way but the see but don't touch you've done is close. I have over 3,000 square feet outside they can roam so room is not a problem, they can easily avoid the older ones.

It can help to avoid conflict if you have multiple widely separated feeding and watering stations. You can improve the quality of what room you have by adding "clutter". Clutter means stuff they can get under, behind, or over so they can break eye contact. That's one reason photos might help with specific suggestions.

I wait until dark and put the chicks on the coop floor if they try to sleep outside. The older ones are already on the roosts and it is too dark for them to attack the chicks. My brooder raised chicks typically don't start roosting until they are a few weeks older than yours anyway. Until then they typically sleep on the coop floor. When they do start to roost it's usually not with the adults anyway. I don't care where mine sleep as long as it is with predator protection and not in the nests. I put an additional roost lower than the main roosts by about a foot, horizontally separated from the main roosts by over 3 feet, and higher than the nests to give them a safe place to go when they start to roost.

If it is dark inside the coop they should be safe from the adults until it gets light. So I'm down there at daybreak every morning until I'm comfortable there won't be a problem. I just open the door so they can get outside where there is more room. What I typically find is that the chicks are up on the roosts avoiding the adults that are walking on the coop floor.

Usually my pullets stay in a sub-flock and avoid the adults until they start to lay. That seems to be the signal that the older hens will accept them as equals. Of course there are exceptions to this, there always are exceptions. Sometimes they intermingle a lot more at a younger age than I make it sound. It's a process, not an overnight thing. I typically advise to base your decisions on what you see, not what somebody over the internet like me tells you that you will see. We all have different flocks with different personalities and makeups, different facilities, and different management techniques. We get different results. Hopefully this will help you determine a way forward with yours. Good luck!

 

[mydaisy]

At 6 months he isn't a fully mature rooster and the girls are probably not acting as mature hens yet. Their relative immaturity might be contributing to the problem.

Yes, I agree. It was much easier integrating babies in with mature flocks of the past.

How big, in feet, is your run?

It is 200 sq ft. They do have plenty of space to get out of the way if need be. They have their own enclosure in the run and recently I have flipped open the top so the littles can jump out of - or back into - at will. So far it has been going great! They venture out and get brave then they jump back in when they feel unsure. The big ones have even jumped in to eat food or just be nosy, and there was no aggression. I have food and water in 2 different areas, so everyone is getting to eat or drink with no problems.

I have over 3,000 square feet outside

I envy that! I would love more space. I let my chickens free-range for 4 years until a predator picked off my last flock one-by-one earlier this year. I don't let them out of the run unless I am around, I just can't do that again (at least not now). But, that is what the rooster is around for, to protect. I really think he is a keeper, he just has some growing up to do.

How big is your coop in feet?

It is not a very big coop. It is 8x4, so 32 sq ft. I know I am pushing it with 14 birds and I wouldn't add more. It has (2) 8 foot long roost bars and the big ones only use maybe half of that of roost space. I really don't have the space to add an enclosure inside the coop, but that is a great idea.

I really appreciate the well thought out advice! I like the idea of adding them at night, or when it's dark out. I do have a dark coop, so that might be the best way to go. And then check on things first thing in the morning. I might not do this tonight, but with a few more days of doing what I am doing, I think everything will be ok. *fingers crossed*

Thanks again!

 

[mydaisy]

Update for anyone who is searching for an answer to a similar situation:
Good news! After the "see no touch" method for about 4 weeks, I let the 7 week babies out of their pen to roam the run freely with the older ones. They could jump in and out of the pen, they also had "hiding" spots to run to if there was aggression. I am happy to report that within a half a day the babies were running around like they owned the place. The rooster isn't bothered by them at all and the older girls have accepted them as part of the group. Of course there is light pecking once in a while, but never aggressive. After 3 full days of this I put them up in the coop at dusk when the others were settled on the roosts. There was no trouble at all. Last night was their third night in the coop and something funny happened - they were all on the roost bars, the babies were on a separate roost, but some jumped off. I left for a bit and when I returned, two of the older hens were at the back of the coop and two of the babies were beside the rooster instead! lol. I think they blocked him on the roost and instead of jumping down to return to his hens, he just stayed there the night with them next to him LOL. So, I am one happy chicken momma right now. They seem have worked it out, as nature does.