Integrating the Flock

When the new wyandottes turned six weeks old, I knew it was time to start thinking about introducing the new chickies to the older girls…and Mr. Soup. I was a bit nervous because I had read a story about an introduction that wasn’t slow enough and an older bird violently killed a younger one. I couldn’t handle that!

Moving the Chicks

First, we had to move the chick’s brooder box from the basement to the barn. The hubby was more than willing to help when he figured he could drive them using his latest toy. They stayed in there for a few days to adjust to the temperature difference. I know they say they are fully feathered around six weeks, but they still seemed cold so we kept the heat lamp on at night.

Chicks meet the real world

We let the chicks outside for the first time…they might have gone out sooner, but the barn kittens are still in the kennel so I didn’t have a way to get them outside until now. They just kind of stood around and didn’t seem to interested in exploring.

The chicks first date

To ease the transition, we kept the big girls in their run and let the little ones out. The big ones were definitely more curious about the new ones, but they were all safely separated. After a while, the chicks just relaxed.

The real introduction

I had all hands on deck, but everyone did great! Of course there was some pecking, but no major harassment. Truthfully, they stayed in their cliques. When the big chickens were out in the far yard, I put the little ones in the coop to test out their future digs and test the ladder. A total success.

Not ready to cohabitate

As well as the introductions have gone, I am just not ready for them to spend the night together. I have heard the suggestion to sneak the new ones in at night, but I worry something could happen in the early morning before I get out there. I think we will give it a bit more time before we fully integrate them. If the coop was larger, I could keep them together but separate. Unfortunately, my request for an addition hasn’t been moved to the top of the priority list yet.