One month brood along / integrate along - from feed store to coop

[Lynn Borich]

For our last 4 chicks that we got in April 2020, we did something similar. We live in SW Missouri where spring can be unsettled but where it can get quite warm. As they outgrew their indoor brooder my husband decided to build a portable coop-run to use for the chicks as they grew and then in our back chicken yard for all the chickens to use as their outdoor hangout (they free range on about 11/2 acres). He would wheel it outside from our garage during the day so the little girls could roam around in a safe grassy place. He could move it around the yard each day and then wheel it back into the garage at night. We still use it and the chickens (and sometimes the wild rabbits) go in to grab a snack or roost on the bars when it’s windy, cold or rainy. we put plastic around it during months and remove it in the warm weather. See photo

The little wooden box was a little indoor coop that had one open side they went into at night. We took it off once they were integrated into the older group.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Throw it at her, lol! Maybe the face mashing will help you win her over! So far nothing works with Mochalita for me even though she'll let my husband help her off the roost bar in the morning because she's always the last one out. She does seem to be last in line for brains.... Very pretty though!

I throw treats and scraps directly at the chickens rather than sprinkling it on the ground, so rather than run away they stare at the sky, mouths open, hoping food will smack them in the face. It'd probably make for a pretty funny slow-mo video haha.

I do have an elderly hen that expects an elevator ride down in the mornings. She'll see me in the coop window and start crying out for attention. Most of the time I'll give her a lift.

 

[rosemarythyme]

As they outgrew their indoor brooder my husband decided to build a portable coop-run to use for the chicks as they grew and then in our back chicken yard for all the chickens to use as their outdoor hangout (they free range on about 11/2 acres). He would wheel it outside from our garage during the day so the little girls could roam around in a safe grassy place. He could move it around the yard each day and then wheel it back into the garage at night. We still use it and the chickens (and sometimes the wild rabbits) go in to grab a snack or roost on the bars when it’s windy, cold or rainy. we put plastic around it during months and remove it in the warm weather.

Nice idea for handling introductions/see but no touch in a free ranging flock. And it's great that you've repurposed it as a sort of hang out so the birds are still getting use out of it.

 

[rosemarythyme]

5/3 Roosting with the grown ups. Chicks are 38 and 45 days old.

Taa-dah! Look what I found last evening. Hard to see but there's 3 chicks mashed in that space near the center (to the left of the Salmon Faverolles):

I did end up interfering because not all the adults were in yet and the 4th chick, Florentine, was pacing the ground in confusion trying to figure out how to get back up and squeeze in between all the fluffy bodies. The simple fact is 8 adults and 4 chicks are an awful tight fit for the top roost, so I picked up Florentine and put her on the lower roost, then moved the 3 other chicks down to join her.

We checked back later and the 4 chicks stayed down low (but shuffled left), with all 8 adults high. Unfortunately coop cam battery needed recharging so I wasn't able to get a photo of that.

For the next few days I'll prop open the pop door with a brick so the chicks can make an early escape if needed (yes it is a small risk as far as pests and predators, but this is how I've always handled this step).

I consider roosting in the coop the final step of integration, so this will end my "integrate along" though the reality of course is the chicks aren't actually treated as part of the flock until they're closer to point of lay. It took longer to integrate this batch than my previous one but still, not too bad to be back on a normal chicken care schedule only 5 weeks after getting them.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

5/3 Roosting with the grown ups. Chicks are 38 and 45 days old.

Taa-dah! Look what I found last evening. Hard to see but there's 3 chicks mashed in that space near the center (to the left of the Salmon Faverolles):

View attachment 3820088

I did end up interfering because not all the adults were in yet and the 4th chick, Florentine, was pacing the ground in confusion trying to figure out how to get back up and squeeze in between all the fluffy bodies. The simple fact is 8 adults and 4 chicks are an awful tight fit for the top roost, so I picked up Florentine and put her on the lower roost, then moved the 3 other chicks down to join her.

View attachment 3820089

We checked back later and the 4 chicks stayed down low (but shuffled left), with all 8 adults high. Unfortunately coop cam battery needed recharging so I wasn't able to get a photo of that.

For the next few days I'll prop open the pop door with a brick so the chicks can make an early escape if needed (yes it is a small risk as far as pests and predators, but this is how I've always handled this step).

I consider roosting in the coop the final step of integration, so this will end my "integrate along" though the reality of course is the chicks aren't actually treated as part of the flock until they're closer to point of lay. It took longer to integrate this batch than my previous one but still, not too bad to be back on a normal chicken care schedule only 5 weeks after getting them.

Congratulations!! This is truly impressive! I need to step up my game as they're roosting but not together, they're in seperate rooms with a window in between. As soon as they're combined, I get my whole brooder room back as whatever I want (I want no poo to clean up in there.) I gotta get on it and be this determined!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Just for funsies, the coop cam's on again. So I watched the progression of the chicks attempting to roost for the night. Very happy we did not have to intervene tonight!

Chicks headed up first and took the top roost. Then the adults began trickling in. Cuddlebug the EE is their biggest bully.

Chicks shuffle over on the top roost hoping to get away with it.

Adults fill up the top roost and chicks bail out.

Chicks loading up on the lower roost now.

And all 4 chicks end up on the left side of the lower roost.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Perfect! Out of reach of the Cuddlebullybug