Adding new chicks in with 11 day old chicks?

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mandamay28

mandamay28

Chirping
Apr 20, 2016
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Would it be safe to add day old chicks in with my week old chicks? I ordered day old chicks and received them last Tuesday, the 10th. A local farmer called me today and said a breed/color I wanted hatched today. Would it be okay to get them and add them into the brooder? Would the current chicks accept them? Here are a couple pics of my current chicks...





TIA
 
The chicks you have are going to be more active than the day olds. With that said, the new ones could tire themselves trying to keep up to the older ones. You can put them together, but just be sure the others arent aggressive to the new ones.
 
You're probably safe in adding the new ones to the week-olds. Just watch carefully during the initial introduction. Chicks "taste" the new comers, and may administer a welcome peck. That should be it. Usually chicks in the first two weeks are non-discerning, regarding newcomers as equals.

Make sure you have a square foot of brooder space for each chick. Overcrowding could cause problems that would not appear in a roomy brooder.
 
As long as you have enough space, you'll be fine. My brooder is a big galvanized tub like they are in at the feed store. As of today, I have 37 chicks in there. The oldest are 3 week old Marans and mixed bantams, and the youngest are mixed bantams and Faverolles that are just under a week old. I'm hatching more chicks as I type and they'll go right in that same brooder when they're dried off and mobile. Having lots of space is the key to everyone getting along.

One nice thing about adding new chicks to the older birds is the "follow the crowd" mentality. I don't have to worry about the new birds finding food or water, they watch the older birds and learn from them. No more dipping beaks, etc for me
smile.png
 

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