When to move to coop????

[littlelizzy123]

I have 6 big girls outside (about a year old) and 4 littles, probably 8 weeks or so. The littles are in the garage in the "Chicken Maximus", a large enclosure made of cardboard with pine chips on the bottom, covered by netting. They have all their feathers, but are still scrawny. I'm afraid the big ones will pick on them, so I think I'll wait a few more weeks to get them out of the garage and into the coop. It is still in the 40s at night and raining all day every day, and I'm afraid the big girls won't let them on the roost. The littles are not friendly enough to catch if I let them outside for the day, so short excursions won't work. I just don't want them to get picked on too bad.

 

[azygous]

At eight weeks, they should be more than able to withstand temps down to the 40s. That shouldn't be a factor in moving them to the coop.

The longer you wait, the harder it will be for them to begin to fit into the pecking order. Merging smalls with the bigs isn't a huge problem as long as the smalls have plenty of space and things to leap up onto or hide behind or under when bullied. I like the idea of a panic room, a small temporary enclosure in the run where the smalls can retreat to when chased. This enclosure has openings that are big enough for the smalls to get through but too small for the bigs to fit.

I have cut and framed with wood, to avoid anyone getting hurt on the sharp edges from the poultry mesh, that are 5"x7". Mine are permanent and are in all partitions in my run so smalls can't get cornered. A temp enclosure can have the sides elevated so the smalls can scoot under or a gate left open just enough for the smalls to slip through. The concept is to provide a haven for the smalls where they're safe from the bigs but they are still free to come and go.

It's important for chicks to learn their place in the pecking order, and with the proper safe guards, you can avoid having them picked on too badly.

As far as roosting perches, I find that placing the chicks on a perch at the far end away from the bigs will help roosting go smoothly. Also, I've hung partitions along the perch so conflicts are kept to a minimum. This helps with all ages.

 

[Blooie]

x2! Mine are integrated as soon as possible. Their brooder is out in the run with the Bigs, so they see each other all the time. This is our first group of chicks integrated with the Bigs when they were just four weeks old. They are still in with the Bigs with no issues. Be sure you have an extra feeder and waterer - most issues arise over food and water when the Bigs chase the Littles off.




We have a big hollow log that split in half - so half is in the coop and this half is in the run. They can dive under it to hide but the Bigs can't follow.



Nope, those aren't her chicks....just Kat visiting in the Little's pen during the integration process.


And this is the latest group of chicks out in the yard with the Bigs....they were a week into the integration process. I just open their pen and let them out. Everything's going great. Normal pecking order spats but not a single serious incident.


The Bigs, the Littles and the Tinys are now fully integrated and the youngest chicks are only 5 weeks old. The brooder pen all of the chicks were raised in is now occupied by my broody hen and her 9 eggs. Again, they can see her and she can see them.

I know that most of what we see about integration says to wait until they are the same size as the older chickens when you start to integrate. I don't have the luxury of the kind of space, and I have another life away from chickens. So this "see but can't touch" approach works the best for me. I also think that chickens are smart enough to know that the little ones aren't as much a threat to their hierarchy as chicks more their size. But that's just a guess on my part. If you have extra waterers, feeders, and a hiding place, your chicks should be okay, especially if you toss them into the mix when they're out foraging. Good luck!

 

[portlando]

Would it be ok to move them out to the henhouse for a week or so before building the run? My henhouse is built and I'll be building my run in the next two weeks. Can they live in the henhouse for now?

 

[junebuggena]

As long as the hen house is plenty big, and they get a few hours of outdoor 'playtime' everyday, it should be fine, temporarily.

 

[portlando]

Thank you. I let them out most of the day and it would only be for about two weeks.

 

[curious chickee]

Would it be ok to move them out to the henhouse for a week or so before building the run?  My henhouse is built and I'll be building my run in the next two weeks.  Can they live in the henhouse for now?

That is what I did with my first chicks. They were in the grow out coop for about 2 weeks before I finished the run

 

[danita]

Hi, so you are in Cali too? I live up by the Oregon border, in the mountains too... So I am also a first time chicken mom. I used this sight to understand how to raise thee babies too. I ave an outside coop/run as well as a hen house. But, they stayed in the house until 5-6 weeks ld, then let them out during the day and put them in the hen house at night, now they are 11 weeks old and they are actually in the coop/run now 24/7. I still let them out but at night they are in the coop. My new babies are 2-3 weeks and have just ggraduated from the box to the playpen and they are still in the house. The think to do is whatever you feel comfortable doing. If you think its a little to cold, your probably right. I love my girls... Nice to meet you.

 

[curious chickee]

Hi, so you are in Cali too?  I live up by the Oregon border, in the mountains too...  So I am also a first time chicken mom. I used this sight to understand how to raise thee babies too. I ave an outside coop/run as well as a hen house. But, they stayed in the house until 5-6 weeks ld, then let them out during the day and put them in the hen house at night, now they are 11 weeks old and they are actually in the coop/run now 24/7. I still let them out but at night they are in the coop. My new babies are 2-3 weeks and have just ggraduated from the box to the playpen and they are still in the house. The think to do is whatever you feel comfortable doing. If you think its a little to cold, your probably right.  I love my girls... Nice to meet you.

Yes, I live in central california, but grew up in so cal. Definetly, do what you feel comfortable. I don't like chicks in the house which are why mine are outside with heat since day one.

 

[larachix]

this has been all very helpful for me thanks for all the comments everyone. my dilemma right now is that my broody mama who was super sweet and great until this morning, now does not like her chicks and is pecking at them and chasing them around and trying to hurt them so I had to separate them. my big red star alpha is doing the same to the broody mom now that she's back in the flock so I have everyone separated and I'm feeling very bad for the poor little chicky babies who don't know what the heck is going on. so the big question is what to do tonight in the coop with the ex-broody Cochin mama and the big mean Red Star. I will keep the 5 week old babies in their brooder at night which has been in the coop the whole time and their own run during the day until they're big enough to fend for themselves, the red stars are not very nice. any suggestions would be wonderful thank you.I did put the mean red star in her own run today but it didn't seem to help as soon as I let her out she went after the cochin again.