I'm very lost

[donteatbees]

Cute babies!! Do you find the babies sharing body heat. When they all pile or snuggled together at night. As for your temperature that's pretty darn cold at night so I can't comment. Maybe someone who lives in colder weather can help out with that. My issue is the heat. Put the chicken house and run under three trees for shading and has to go as far as to put a misting system up to help with the heat. So the extreme cold isn't a subject I know much about. Sorry I couldn't help more. Wishing you the best.

Thanks! They do like to snuggle at night, but they're physically touching the majority of the time. They freak out if they can't see each other. I named them after Ruffnut and Tuffnut from How To Train Your Dragon because they're so inseparable. The temperature is usually warmer, but it's been rainy the past few days. I'm keeping them in at night anyway because I don't trust some of my hens

 

[rosemarythyme]

I let them out and two.of the hens did peck at them. So I think I'll wait a little longer and let them out with supervision.

Pecking is normal and as long as the hens aren't actively chasing them down and cornering them, or pecking so hard that it causes damage, it's not a problem. And it sounds like you have plenty of hiding spots that the chicks already utilize. However yes it's best to supervise the first few interactions just to be safe.

 

[donteatbees]

Pecking is normal and as long as the hens aren't actively chasing them down and cornering them, or pecking so hard that it causes damage, it's not a problem. And it sounds like you have plenty of hiding spots that the chicks already utilize. However yes it's best to supervise the first few interactions just to be safe.

They definitely don't hunt them down. They'll come over and look then give a peck after a bit, but it doesn't cause any injuries (that I see, but I assume I'd see if they got hurt). But they also peck at them for moving too fast past them. They will wait for the chicks, but not pursue them. I can't tell if it's aggression or confused or they're scared? But they know the chicks, so they shouldn't be spooked by them. But yeah, I'll definitely be watching them for now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They definitely don't hunt them down. They'll come over and look then give a peck after a bit, but it doesn't cause any injuries (that I see, but I assume I'd see if they got hurt). But they also peck at them for moving too fast past them. They will wait for the chicks, but not pursue them. I can't tell if it's aggression or confused or they're scared? But they know the chicks, so they shouldn't be spooked by them. But yeah, I'll definitely be watching them for now.

I'll copy what I wrote earlier and explain it some.

Do not expect the hens to snuggle the chicks or keep them warm. What happens with mine is that the chicks form a sub-flock and avoid the hens so they don't get pecked. About the time my pullets start to lay they are accepted into the pecking order. Until then they stay apart day and night. It is peaceful as long as they keep their distance.

If a less mature chick invades the personal space of a more mature chicken they might get pecked. It usually does not take long for the younger to learn to avoid the older. So you wind up with two separate flocks. They coexist quite well as long as they stay apart. During the daytime my chicks stay far away, but they have room to do that. At night the chicks do not sleep on the roosts with the adults but find a safe place away from the hens to sleep.

For this to work they need enough room to avoid the older. If they are squeezed too tightly they can get injured or worse. Luckily you have two to keep each other company. A single chick is harder.

 

[donteatbees]

I'll copy what I wrote earlier and explain it some.

Do not expect the hens to snuggle the chicks or keep them warm. What happens with mine is that the chicks form a sub-flock and avoid the hens so they don't get pecked. About the time my pullets start to lay they are accepted into the pecking order. Until then they stay apart day and night. It is peaceful as long as they keep their distance.

If a less mature chick invades the personal space of a more mature chicken they might get pecked. It usually does not take long for the younger to learn to avoid the older. So you wind up with two separate flocks. They coexist quite well as long as they stay apart. During the daytime my chicks stay far away, but they have room to do that. At night the chicks do not sleep on the roosts with the adults but find a safe place away from the hens to sleep.

For this to work they need enough room to avoid the older. If they are squeezed too tightly they can get injured or worse. Luckily you have two to keep each other company. A single chick is harder.

Yeah, that makes sense. My chicks like to roost, but they go under the hens. There's multiple levels. The hens don't seem to mind them, they've got lots of space outside and inside. The hens go free in my yard. The dog pulled the fence up to eat their treats (still don't know why she wants lettuce and banana peel kinda foods. She's weird) and we fixed it so she can't get in but the hens can use it as a way to get in and put. The chicks prefer to stay hidden from everything though.
I'm very glad I've got two chicks too, otherwise I'm not sure what I'd do. I'd have to buy more from the hatchery, I guess. I might make a smaller space in the coop for the chicks to go hide and perch in away from the big chickens.

Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it <3