I tend to agree with Sourland. The dominant rooster has never been a problem for me. Some dominant roosters will actually protect young chicks, though usually mine ignore the pecking order issues. You are dealing with living animals. It is hard to say exactly how they will act. Some hens can be really brutal and non-dominant roosters can occasionally be a problem, but I really don’t have significant problems integrating chicks.
I’ve had broodies wean their chicks at 3 weeks in the heat of summer. To me, that is proof they don’t have to be the same size to integrate them. But I am convinced how much room they have plays a really big part of it. If space is tight, the risk is a whole lot higher. I would not dream of integrating chicks very young unless I had a tremendous amount of space. If you don’t have a fair amount of space, waiting until the chicks are practically grown is safer.
Often when a chicken lower in the pecking order invades the personal space of a dominant hen, the dominant hen will peck the less dominant, especially if there is a big difference in maturity. The less dominant will run away and all is well in chicken society. If the less dominant does not run away, it is a challenge to the pecking order position and a fight will often break out. If space is tight so that the less dominant cannot run away, then the dominant one can get really vicious. That is why space is important. That is why space is really important.
I generally integrate brooder-raised chicks at 8 weeks. That’s not just because of their age, just the way it works out. I keep my brooder in the coop and my grow-out pen is right next to the coop and run, so mine grow up in sight of the older chickens. Depending on weather, I usually keep mine in the brooder until they are 4 to 5 weeks old, then I move them to the grow-out pen. I keep them in the grow-out coop for about a week or more so they come to think of it as home, then let them into the grow-out run. I leave them locked in there until they are used to going back into their coop at night. By the time I am satisfied with the way they put themselves to bed, they are usually 8 weeks old. If I could work it out at six weeks, I’d do that.
When I integrate, I just open the doors and let them go out to free range with the adults when they want to. Due to maturity issues, the young ones are at the bottom of the pecking order. The older hens will protect their pecking order rights. The young ones quickly learn to avoid the older ones. That’s why you‘ll see two different flocks. The young ones are trying to keep a safe distance.
I provide three different places they can eat and three different places they can get water to avoid conflicts with the older ones.
I also do not force them to sleep together with the older ones. I let them sleep in that grow-out coop until they are maybe 12 to 15 weeks old. Then I usually start putting them in the big coop. The only place I have any issues with pecking order is on the roosts at night. Those hens can get pretty vicious. Occasionally a non-dominant cockerel will join in the brutality, but usually not as bad as the hens. But as long as they have lots of room, they work it out.
Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought....Abraham Lincoln (Freedom carries responsibility)
The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right.....Judge Learned Hand (The more sure your are that your way is the only right way, the more likely you are wrong.)
Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought....Abraham Lincoln (Freedom carries responsibility)
The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right.....Judge Learned Hand (The more sure your are that your way is the only right way, the more likely you are wrong.)
