Can I put 5 week incubator chicks with mothers that have chicks?

[bpilgrim]

Hi everyone, I had 2 girls go broody together, they kept stealing all the eggs in the coop so were sitting on 25. After 4 hatched they stopped sitting. I put the rest of the eggs in my incubator and hatched out all the rest except a few. I was able to get the moms with their babies into their own coop and gave them incubator chicks as they hatched out. I was able to get them to accept/keep about 10 and they are raising them together in a big family. I've been raising the other 10 or so in my house. All the chicks inside and out are about 5 weeks old.

Question - Can I take my inside chicks and put them outside in the coop with the other chicks and the mother hens? Or will they try to kill any newly introduced chicks? The mother hens are a Silkie and a Cochin. Any advice or experiences with this would be great. Thanks!

 

[nchls school]

Hi everyone, I had 2 girls go broody together, they kept stealing all the eggs in the coop so were sitting on 25. After 4 hatched they stopped sitting. I put the rest of the eggs in my incubator and hatched out all the rest except a few. I was able to get the moms with their babies into their own coop and gave them incubator chicks as they hatched out. I was able to get them to accept/keep about 10 and they are raising them together in a big family. I've been raising the other 10 or so in my house. All the chicks inside and out are about 5 weeks old.

Question - Can I take my inside chicks and put them outside in the coop with the other chicks and the mother hens? Or will they try to kill any newly introduced chicks? The mother hens are a Silkie and a Cochin. Any advice or experiences with this would be great. Thanks!

At the age of 5 weeks the hens and chicks will not accept each other. Keep the inside chicks separate until they are older.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

The mother hens will view the newly introduced chicks as interlopers and will seek to destroy them.