Advice please I have baby chicks

[Perris]

I’m worried about my 4 orphans and how they will go at this age. Do I keep them back a bit longer

Back from what? what are you contemplating doing with them? Please clarify, in particular, are you talking about putting them in a pen or other sort of bounded area with (a) the rest of your flock or (b) the broody and her brood or (c) other? OR are you talking about letting them free range so they could successfully run away and hide from any other member of the flock that attacked them?

do I seperate mum from her babies and keep all the babies together for a bit longer. The orphans sleep together and mum takes hers up into a nesting box and still tries to put them under her wings of a night! Bless her. Anyway any advice is welcome
please.

Let mum decide when to separate from her brood. Really, trust her. She understands your flock's dynamics better than you or I ever could.

Needed advice about removing mum from her 9 week old babies. And we have orphans I hatched and I don’t know how to introduce them to the flock.

They are in the same pen as the mum and her two and have been since 2 weeks old during the day.

I don't understand your set up from what you have written. Are the orphans / have the orphans been in a pen with the broody since 2 weeks old?

Should I
Open the gate and see what happens.

Is this a gate between broody and orphans, or broody+orphans and the rest of the flock? or something else?

The broody will look after her brood and if necessary defend them from other flock members. No-one will protect orphans, ordinarily, and they will have to be looking out for themselves. If the rest of the flock has been able to see them growing up, the integration will be smoother than if they have not. If the orphans have space and facilities to run and hide from any aggressive flock adult, they should avoid injury; typically the aggressor just wants to show dominance and if the victim yields - especially if they remove themselves from the area - the aggression stops. Obviously confined birds cannot run away, so the attack may be relentless and/or fatal. People often write about coops and runs and safety in only a positive way, but in this sort of situation, as with when a predator gets in, they can actually be death traps.

 

[Lawso]

Back from what? what are you contemplating doing with them? Please clarify, in particular, are you talking about putting them in a pen or other sort of bounded area with (a) the rest of your flock or (b) the broody and her brood or (c) other? OR are you talking about letting them free range so they could successfully run away and hide from any other member of the flock that attacked them?

Let mum decide when to separate from her brood. Really, trust her. She understands your flock's dynamics better than you or I ever could.


I don't understand your set up from what you have written. Are the orphans / have the orphans been in a pen with the broody since 2 weeks old?

Is this a gate between broody and orphans, or broody+orphans and the rest of the flock? or something else?

The broody will look after her brood and if necessary defend them from other flock members. No-one will protect orphans, ordinarily, and they will have to be looking out for themselves. If the rest of the flock has been able to see them growing up, the integration will be smoother than if they have not. If the orphans have space and facilities to run and hide from any aggressive flock adult, they should avoid injury; typically the aggressor just wants to show dominance and if the victim yields - especially if they remove themselves from the area - the aggression stops. Obviously confined birds cannot run away, so the attack may be relentless and/or fatal. People often write about coops and runs and safety in only a positive way, but in this sort of situation, as with when a predator gets in, they can actually be death traps.

Mum and two 9 week olds have been in a pen with 4 orphans day and night for about 4 weeks. The pen is 6 metres x 6 meters. I have 4 of them. The other 3 have a rooster ( Wyandotte) and 6 hens and 5 Guinea foul. I have 3 seperate water and feed stations. 2 medium sized sheds made out of cool room paneling. 1 of them for the rooster and his hens and the other inside the pen with mum babies and orphans. The mum and babies sleep inside that shed in a nesting box. There are perches but she has them in the nesting box. The orphans sleep together in another nesting box away from mum in a seperate pen/ shelter. All the babies have interacted and been in sight of the hens and rooster for around 4 weeks now.
Today I opened the gate and mum took her two out and there were no problems. She did chase a couple of hens away when they approached to eat but no fighting.
The orphans wondered around and seemed ok. They can get out of the way though I did observe one orphan not able to find its way back into their pen with the others so I helped it as it panicked a bit.
All pens have joining gates that are left open so they all can move around. I have panels around the orphans area that the sleep and eat that I leave open wide enough only for them to pass through. Their food is inside there away from everyone else.
Does all of this sound ok or am I missing something important?

 

[Perris]

Does all of this sound ok or am I missing something important?

yes, it does sound as if you've got this

You might want to keep a special eye out for the orphans as they will have it relatively hard for the next couple of months. I like to keep some mealworms on hand when I'm out amongst the flock to offer to any juvenile who comes near; it helps to reassure them that I'm on their side and can offer protection as well as some extra food if needed. Any easy to carry and dispense nutrient-dense food will do for this purpose.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Does all of this sound ok or am I missing something important?

From how you started it sounds like you are in a good place. I manage mine differently. I let my broody hens raise their chicks with the flock from hatch. That way she handles integration. I have had some wean their chicks as young as 3 weeks and leave them to make their own way with the flock. They do. I've also had some broody hens not wean her chicks until they are almost 3 months old. I think it is important that I have a lot of room outside, around 13 x 18 meters. I also have a large (3 x 4 meter) coop so Mama has enough room to work and the chicks do also when they are on their own.

My brooder is in the coop so the chicks are raised with the flock. At 5 weeks of age I open the brooder and let them out. That's it for my integration. Again, I have a lot of room. That makes a difference. My flock consists of a rooster, 6 to 8 mature hens, and often different broods of chicks different ages.

I think yours are about 6 weeks old. Certainly old enough even in winter, let alone your summers. With separate feeders and waterers and the safe havens (places only the chicks can get to) I think you are set up for success. But essentially you have three separate flocks sharing that space. My brooder-raised chicks avoid the other chickens until they reach laying age. Once they start laying they are accepted as members of the flock. Until then they do not sleep close to the adults at night and stay away during the day.

Until your broody weans her chicks she will probably keep them separated during the day and at night. When she weans them she will rejoin the adult flock and leave her chicks to manage on their own. Those chicks may stay by themselves or they may merge with the other youngsters until they reach laying age.

From what I read I think you have it set up great. I'll point out I do not care where mine sleep at night as long as it is predator safe and not in my nests. I understand you may not have problem with them sleeping in the nests. That's up to you. Some people on this forum seem to get upset if the chicks do not sleep on the same roosts as the adults to start with. That does not bother me in the least as long as they are safe.

Good luck!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@Lawso you've been given very good suggestions/opinions from two very well respected and knowledgeable members. I don't think I can add to what they have said.

I do think you are on the right path, it will take a bit of time for everyone to find their place within the flock, but it sounds like things are going o.k.

I hope everything continues to do so, keep us posted.

 

[Lawso]

yes, it does sound as if you've got this

You might want to keep a special eye out for the orphans as they will have it relatively hard for the next couple of months. I like to keep some mealworms on hand when I'm out amongst the flock to offer to any juvenile who comes near; it helps to reassure them that I'm on their side and can offer protection as well as some extra food if needed. Any easy to carry and dispense nutrient-dense food will do for this purpose.

Perfect. Thank you. I have not raised chicks before I never wanted to but mother hen was adamant she wanted babies. Anyway the mother hen is the top hen at our place she puts all others in their place( even before babies) so to be honest the orphans haven’t had any trouble yet. I will be diligent though as I have fallen completely in love with them all.
Question: I don’t know what sex the babies are. So would the rooster know if one of them was a male and would he hurt it. My rooster is a lovely boy but wasn’t sure how it works. Thank you again for your kind reassurance I am on track I am so grateful.

 

[Lawso]

From how you started it sounds like you are in a good place. I manage mine differently. I let my broody hens raise their chicks with the flock from hatch. That way she handles integration. I have had some wean their chicks as young as 3 weeks and leave them to make their own way with the flock. They do. I've also had some broody hens not wean her chicks until they are almost 3 months old. I think it is important that I have a lot of room outside, around 13 x 18 meters. I also have a large (3 x 4 meter) coop so Mama has enough room to work and the chicks do also when they are on their own.

My brooder is in the coop so the chicks are raised with the flock. At 5 weeks of age I open the brooder and let them out. That's it for my integration. Again, I have a lot of room. That makes a difference. My flock consists of a rooster, 6 to 8 mature hens, and often different broods of chicks different ages.

I think yours are about 6 weeks old. Certainly old enough even in winter, let alone your summers. With separate feeders and waterers and the safe havens (places only the chicks can get to) I think you are set up for success. But essentially you have three separate flocks sharing that space. My brooder-raised chicks avoid the other chickens until they reach laying age. Once they start laying they are accepted as members of the flock. Until then they do not sleep close to the adults at night and stay away during the day.

Until your broody weans her chicks she will probably keep them separated during the day and at night. When she weans them she will rejoin the adult flock and leave her chicks to manage on their own. Those chicks may stay by themselves or they may merge with the other youngsters until they reach laying age.

From what I read I think you have it set up great. I'll point out I do not care where mine sleep at night as long as it is predator safe and not in my nests. I understand you may not have problem with them sleeping in the nests. That's up to you. Some people on this forum seem to get upset if the chicks do not sleep on the same roosts as the adults to start with. That does not bother me in the least as long as they are safe.

Good luck!

Thank you this information is so helpful to me as I wasn’t sure what I was doing was ok. They already roost during the day together so I’m sure they will work out the sleeping arrangements as they mature Again I appreciate your input very much.

 

[Lawso]

@Lawso you've been given very good suggestions/opinions from two very well respected and knowledgeable members. I don't think I can add to what they have said.

I do think you are on the right path, it will take a bit of time for everyone to find their place within the flock, but it sounds like things are going o.k.

I hope everything continues to do so, keep us posted.

Thank you. I appreciate your reply and well wishes very much. Kind regards Dee