need ideas for chick housing

[Amastacia]

my 15 chicks have decided they need more space and i'm not quite ready to move them to the coop with my 8 hens. i was hoping to keep them where they are until this weekend, but considering the two injured ones i noticed yesterday, i don't think i can. they will be 4 weeks old on friday.

my plan was that when they were big enough (or this weekend) to make a temporary divider for the coop, sectioning off about half of the floor space for the chicks (about 4x8) so they could see the hens and get used to the coop while being separated from the hens so they wouldn't hurt them. i don't have the supplies to make the divider yet, but if i have to i can go out today to get it.

my other options i can think of:

1) separate the chicks into smaller groups in the various containers i have. i don't really like this idea for several reasons. i'm not sure they would end up with much more space each, and i might have issues reintegrating them as a group.

2) i have a dog pen that is a decent size, though not very tall, that i could get, line with chicken wire (the spaces are big enough for the chicks to get through), put in the yard and devise some sort of house in it. the main problem with this is that we have been getting a lot of rain lately (several inches over the last 2 nights) and i'm not sure it is done. i don't want the chicks getting wet when i'm not sure the housing would be the best.

3) i could take the injured chicks (currently sprayed with BluKote) and move them to a different container. the other 13 would have more space and those two wouldn't get hurt anymore (unless by each other). again, i would have to reintegrate, but i think this method would be better than the first one.

any other ideas/suggestions? again, it would only have to be for a few days in all reality. this weekend i will be able to get the coop set up to take the chicks.

 

[Chick Charm]

You could put them out in the coop. Adding also small boxes with holes (big enough for the chicks to fit into but not older chickens) in them so that they have a safety place. And they can begin the integration process with a safe area to run too.

Wish ya the best.

 

[Amastacia]

You could put them out in the coop. Adding also small boxes with holes (big enough for the chicks to fit into but not older chickens) in them so that they have a safety place. And they can begin the integration process with a safe area to run too.

Wish ya the best.

would this actually be safe for them? they aren't yet four weeks and are quite small still and i don't want them getting hurt (any more than they already are).

 

[ilovemy7chicken]

All you need is some chicken wire to section of an area for them so they can be seen by the other hens but not touched. Give them whatever they have been sleeping in for shelter and comfort and your done. The chicks are small so they don't need a lot of room. Chicken wire isn't expensive. You don't need a whole lot. You could even make a frame divider on 2x2's so you can easily take it out when they are bigger.

 

[Amastacia]

the more i think about it, the more i think i'm running to Lowes this afternoon. i have chicken wire, but i need some boards to make the frame. i like that idea. should a 3x8 area be big enough for a while? or should i try for 4x8?

 

[Chick Charm]

Consider nature. Newly hatched chicks are introduced to the flock by mama hen within a few days. It is ok to put chicks with the flock. Just provide them with a safety zone. They will be just fine. 4 weeks old is old enough to make it on their own without your assistance. It's summertime and they will be ok.

Wish ya the best.

 

[Amastacia]

ok, they are in an improvised (but reasonably sturdy/safe) enclosure in the coop. it can be opened up for cleaning and removed when we get something better put together (or they out grow it, if they don't seem to have issues with it we might leave it for this year). they have more room and are still protected from the hens, so hopefully they will be happier now.

 

[azygous]

Just as one of the prior commenters pointed out, the 'panic room" approach to integrating chicks works remarkably well. It gives chicks as young as four weeks a safe place to duck into for safety and to eat and drink without being bullied. It doesn't require a lot of space because the chicks will be able to come and go in and out of the larger run at will. My first panic room was just two by three feet. The only problem with it was one of the older hens figured out how to squeeze her head and shoulders through the small pop hole to eat the chick feed. She ended up getting stuck and it was pretty funny.

The chicks learn remarkably fast to use the pop holes at a dead run, ducking back into the safe area when chased. They are most often faster than the adults, so don't worry about them. In fact, it's really entertaining to watch the chicks out-maneuver the adult chickens. Make sure, though, that the chicks don't have access to any area where they might get boxed in or cornered with no way to escape. I usually assess the run for these danger spots, and install extra pop holes through any barrier where an adult hen could trap a chick.

This approach doesn't require any additional space, and it can be set up relatively fast and easily.

 

[Amastacia]

unfortunately i don't have an actual run, my hens free range most of the day and i don't want the chicks out in the yard just yet. after a few days i may try to let them loose in the coop when the hens are in with their safe area, but for today the enclosure is probably the best. want to get them used to the coop, and that area, then we will see how it goes. they do have a box in there to hide in, which is what they keep doing when i go to check on them right now.

 

[ilovemy7chicken]

A mother hen protects her chicks and introduces them to the flock. They learn from her how to defend themselves. At 4 weeks they're just babies so I would still off protection until at least 8 weeks. Your chicks will form a little group and stay together even as they get older which will also help.