Raising Chickens: Moving Your Pullets / Chicks to Your Coop

Our apologies but we can no longer respond to questions but I have turned comments back on since there is a lot of good information there. -- Moving your pullets from the brooder to a coop Can sometime be a challenge. We'll cover some basic tips that can prevent disaster. For more in depth info visit victoryfarm.org... .

[@mrsksohn]

I remember you saying in a different video to wait till 8 weeks and introduce them at night. Thanks to your advice we haven't lost any birds. We have 11 Red Star that are grown and laying, and 6 Gold Sex Link that we raised from tiny babies. When we introduced them at 8 weeks there was some pecking, but never any blood and they are all getting along well now and roosting together. This was our first time raising chickens for eggs, and we really appreciate your videos and advice! From East Texas

[@asheriff3]

I VISITED UR FARM YESTERDAY AND IT IS VERY DEVELOPED AND NICE THANK U FOR ALL OF THE GOOD IDEAS SHERIFF

[@erism.4800]

I was so afraid my 6'×8' coop would not be able to handle my current 6 chickens plus the 10 new chicks I'm moving out soon but now I feel a little better knowing they'll do fine plus they have a run and free range time! Thanks for the help!! :)

[@victoryfarm]

Yep, that should be fine. Just make sure you have enough linear roost space. If you only have one 8' roost you might want to think about adding a second.

[@erism.4800]

I have a second one in the run (a 3 tier 2' ladder, same in the coop) my leghorns like to rooster in the rafters of the coop though so I should have plenty of space

[@victoryfarm]

Ezekiel Mietitore Yep, you got it covered. Well done!

[@victoryfarm]

That's a hard question. I can see where it might cause a problem but it might also solve a problem since it will eliminate competition for the highest roost. We have birds jostling nightly for that in coop #2. It gets so loud sometimes the leghorn pullets hang out in the run until they are done. Let me know how it goes and whether they decide one roost or "better" than the other and why they might have decided that.

[@dadrules714]

Thanks again 4 advice. I moved my 7 wk old hens into coop. They seemed really stressed out in the brooder cage. The rooster I feared would kill them Is actually quite protective of them. My fears are gone. thanks again.

[@threepenpals8250]

Love the dual meaning with the shirt, Sheppard Commander!

[@victoryfarm]

Yes we do. It's not the best idea but we want to maximize production when the farm markets open in June so that means a brood in September that we move in December. We don't heat our coops. We have enough birds (about 60 per coop) so body heat does the trick. We have found it very important to get the pullets accustomed to dark and cold before the move so two weeks before we begin reducing the heat and light in the brooder until they are used to just daylight and no heat.

[@victoryfarm]

The only thing we have found effective is that standard double wall font with a heated base underneath. Outside each coop we keep one or two 30 gal tanks with deicers in them. We have an all weather spout 100 ft from the keeps and we refill the tanks as needed and blow out the house after. It means filling the fonts with buckets every day or so but it's the only solution we found that can stand occasional sub-zero weather.

[@victoryfarm]

Thanks for noticing! It's a running joke that I always wear a geeky shirt for the chicken videos and I love it when people notice. For the next one I promised @danbenjamin I would wear his 5by5 network shirt. Previous was Daring Fireball. (I'm a app developer by day).

[@yackfzay6224]

Rewarding work you have. They give back to in the end. Happy day

[@rdwolfgurl78]

yack f zay ..s

[@victoryfarm]

One is 16 x 8 the other is 12 x 8. The latter one is higher so we have more roost space so both coops can hold the same -- 60 is the ideal but with so many predator problems we go up to 80 sometimes.

[@joycekain6519]

Our chicks are 10 days old and we would like to take them from the plastic bin they've been in to the coop where we'll make a larger brooder out of cardboard. It is expected to get down to freezing tonight (cold for late April). If we can keep the temp at 90" with the use of the red lamp and another heater outside of the brooder, is that safe for them?

[@victoryfarm]

We have 50 chicks in the brooder right now who are about 12 days old. It went below freezing here last night and they did fine with two heat lamps. If you have 25 or less and have a good draft shield I think they'll be fine with one heat lamp. Important thing is to watch them. If they all huddle miserably under the lamp they're too cold. Having most under the lamp is fine.

[@EverydayKindaGuy]

What do you do in terms of watering your birds over the freezing weather? I've got a 55 gallon drum with an auto watering cup attached, but went out this morning and it was frozen.. Looks like time to drain it is near. I've got a pan style heater for a large metal waterer, but always wondered what others do.

[@dorothywiseman567]

Hello Great video, I'm new to chickens and my question is the coop that I will be using has a very tall ceiling and I'm worried my chickens will fly up there. I can't reach it and too old to climb. Also the floor to the coop is dirt, but as the lady moved out and took her chickens I have noticed it may be layers of straw or something...but the dirt looks just like a dirt floor. Will I have to clean all that out and start over? or is it ok to just build my layers on top? The lady is my landlord and her chickens seem to be healty, she's selling eggs from them. Thank you for reading...another newbie...

[@bcasey101]

Great video, just a couple questions. What do you do for the food for the 8 week olds? Can they eat the same layer mix I use for the laying hens? Usually I tried to let them have the chick starter/grower longer than 8 weeks. Also on the 2nd day do you let the older hens out to the run and isolate the younger ones again or let them all have the option to go out and leave the run doors open?

[@victoryfarm]

My rule of thumb is to buy 2 50lb bags of starter per 25 chicks and switch to layer crumble when they run out. Though that plan had a lot to do with the fact that we had used medicated feed in the past. Laying hens should never be exposed to medicated feed. I've read that if they ever are we have to stop selling our eggs for something like 2 months. We stopped using medicated feed since coccidiosis vaccine has become available but have stuck to this practice. On the second day we don't try and isolate. Our coops generally have over 100 birds each so getting them to do anything is futile. Some broods have gone out the second day (and often require finding putting them back in at night) while others did not venture out for days. We have found that if you introduce the chicks to a particular corner they often stay in that corner for days so we now introduce them into the corner most away from the door.

[@bcasey101]

Very good, thank you for the super quick response.

[@iandube8229]

I have 2 roosts, opposite each other and at the same height. does having roosts at different heights affect the "pecking order" and promote chicken animosity? I have a 4x4 hen house with 10 birds, and 9 inches of roost space for each bird.

[@geraldheidler1095]

do you move pullets in winter if you do what do you have to do to keep them warm?

[@dadrules714]

last yr a "friend" offered to help us out(we're nubies) we ordered 24 strt run and ended up w/ 23 roosters. All but 1(rhod red) ended up in canning jar. as I want to breed chicks as they age and propagate flock. This yr I ordered 12 hens(chicks new Hampshire reds) 2nd wk Mar. They are in a chicken wire cage separate from him so he can see them and hopefully get used to them. How and when do I release them into "his" coop? Or shouldn't I? ready another canning jar?

[@Feltzm]

Check out tractor supply company, they've got water warmers that will keep that barrel unfrozen in the winter time.

[@AJGR33NWR]

Thank you so much for this information if I have any more questions I'll be sure to ask you!

[@inbredagogo]

I have 11 Rhode Island reds in a 13 X 8 Dog kennel with poultry wire on the outside. do you think that my enclosure is big enough?

[@victoryfarm]

That's really great to hear. Thanks for letting me know!

[@victoryfarm]

Yes -- 13 x 8 is more than big enough. Even if you doubled your flock it would still be roomy.

[@ghayath2011]

Your videos are great. Keep making them

[@larriice]

very nice! It sounds like you are living the life, I wish I could do that same...

[@AJGR33NWR]

Okay thank you so much but if this does occur and one of them get hurt what could I do to tend to them? Will it be possible to put them back in with the other birds?

[@victoryfarm]

I just put them in a safe place for a couple of days. When they are healed I reintroduce them. The real danger is that when chickens see blood it becomes a feeding frenzy so any bleeding pullet should be removed right away. They will quite literally eat them alive. It doesn't happen often but it escalates rapidly once it starts.

[@AJGR33NWR]

If I have younger pullets and I'm moving them in with slightly older wydots will that ever cause a problem such as the older birds hurting the younger birds? Thanks

[@victoryfarm]

Yes it can. We once had some older birds kill 17 (out of 30) pullets in one day -- though that was after years of never having a problem. If you need to mix them just be sure to pay careful attention. A little pecking is expected but if any of the pullets start bleeding get them out ASAP before a feeding frenzy starts.

[@TheMains2009]

How many would you say is the max amount of chickens for a 5x5 coop? We're in Oklahoma and will have a covered run (10x5) so never really too much snow to let them out daily, and they also have a few hours of free range a day.

[@victoryfarm]

There really is no fixed formula. It depends on roost space, nesting boxes and how much work you're willing to do. In our 8 x 12 coop we can manage 60. At that ratio a 5 x 5 could hold 15. You would need at least 15 feet of roosting space (22 would be better) -- though I'm not sure a straight ratio conversion works here. So perhaps a max of 10 -- but start with 5 or 7 and work you way up while you get comfortable.

[@2nozella]

How long do you keep the 8 week old pullets shut in the coop with the adult birds under low light?

[@victoryfarm]

Good question. For us it can be 24 hours to 3 days depending on how they behave. Each brood has their own personality. When they stop piling up in corners and the adults birds don't gang up we will let light back in. To clarify, we don't confine the adult birds with the pullets. We kick the adults birds out a little before sunset and lock them out, Bring in the pullets and let them have run of the coop for an hour and then let the adults in as the sun is setting so they won't have too much time to cause havoc. Don't know if that's "best" but it's worked for us.

[@2nozella]

Thank you so much. This makes sense to me, and I'll be trying it soon. I'll let you know how it works out. Sincerely, Sue.

[@tobychase7770]

We love your videos, make more please :)

[@victoryfarm]

Thanks Toby! We are working on more videos this summer plus a whole new web site. Watch here for info: facebook.com/VictoryFarmNJ

[@geraldheidler1095]

how big are your coops

[@victoryfarm]

It was our pleasure! Let us know if you have ano other questions.

[@richarddowner4292]

WOW Chickens are really stupid!!! this video helps me (as a new chick owner) help keep my flock alive and well.. thank you...

[@Metal8Lover]

sorry if this has been asked before but does the light for chicks need to stay on 24 hours a day? do they need a dark time? And can i use any heat lamp? i have a reptile heat lamp but i don't know if that ok.

[@victoryfarm]

Yes, it needs to be on for 24 hours. The goal is to keep them at around 95f but they also need to be able to get away also. If you pay attention they will tell you if they are too hot or not by how close they gather to the light. A red light is the best because it can also prevent cannibalistic behaviors that chickens are prone to (they can peck each other to death and the red light makes blood look black no read).

[@Metal8Lover]

ok thanks

[@camilloapril]

This was a great informative video. I have recently gotten 3 baby chicks. 2 pullets & 1 unkown sex; a variety of breeds. We have a really nice coop that has 2 covered hen boxes in the upper section. Can I brood them in the coop? I was considering wrapping the bottom of the coop with some sort of opaque plastic to keep the wind out. I was going to setup their heat lamp in there & continue raising them that way. I do not have any other chickens. Just these 3. Our bad weather should be gone now. Is this a bad idea? They would be protected from the elements, have good ventilation, as well as dark areas (the boxes) & their heat lamp.

[@victoryfarm]

That should be okay. Watch them and they will tell you how they feel. If they are to warm they will avoid the heat lamp and if they are too cold they will gather right under it.

[@larriice]

Mass Effect and chickens, a good combo!

[@victoryfarm]

At eight weeks it should be okay. In my experience it's not the roosters that cause problems with new pullets, it's the adults hens. I don't think you'll have a problem.

[@dorothywiseman567]

I'm wanting to add you as a friend on facebook...but there are several victory farms...which is yours?

[@victoryfarm]

Thanks for adding us! This is our page: facebook.com/VictoryFarmNJ

[@jkprops]

Easy, have your pullets live in the same coop as your hens but have them separated by a screen. They will live together but unable to be touched by the hens, in a month remove the screen and they will be fine.

[@phillyhippie]

Does your cat try to kill your chickens?

[@Kosh800]

N7 shirt. Awesome.

[@Reddylion]

nice

[@ksb3962]

They go outside for me at 3-4 weeks

[@dadrules714]

Thanks. Appreciate the advice. great vid. There are very few on this subject matter. very informative. With friends like the one who jerk us..........who needs a proctologist? ; )

[@turdferguson1021]

6:36 🤣

[@goodgirl99us]

N7, shirt huh? gamer!

[@victoryfarm]

No, she doesn't. One chicken follows her around which she tolerates. When we get new chicks we keep her out of the barn for a few weeks but after that we let her back in. She appears to have no interest in them.

[@marianag2976]

mass effect fan

[@tabasco14]

Great video! Thank you so much.

[@turdferguson1021]

6:37 🤣🤣