Integrating baby chicks of varying ages

[Newtoraisingchicks]

Hello. I am currently raising 15 chicks ranging from 3 days old to 4 weeks old. I have 8 of them, ages 3-4 weeks together in a brooder box. In another brooder box, I have 6 chicks who range from 1-3 weeks old. They are all a couple of days apart, from a staggered hatch. My youngest is just 3 days old, and has curly toes, so I have been doing physical therapy with him and keeping him separate from the others. I also have 2 eggs left that have not yet hatched, and may or may not. I am almost finished building a coop that is large enough for all potentially 17 of them, and I am hoping to be able to keep them all together in it. I am new to raising chicks, and not sure the best way to go about it. I have heard I should not keep chicks together who are more than 2 weeks apart in age. Is there any way to get all these chicks to live together in a coop? I have 4 other adult birds in an outside coop and I'd like to eventually put them all together, but I am planning on keeping the chicks all in the new coop for now, until everyone is fully feathered. My question is, what is the best way to go about introducing all these chicks to each other, and at what ages is it safe to do so? Do I need to plan on keeping just the oldest group, within 2 weeks of each other in the new coop and keep the smaller ones in other brooder boxes? When can I introduce them all to each other and what is the best way of doing that? Thanks so much for your input!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Personally, I had no trouble integrating 1-week-old chicks with chicks up to 5 weeks of age this year. I had them separated by fence so that they could see each other until the youngest were a week old, active enough to run around with the bigger chicks so they were less likely to be trampled, and then simply moved them into the same brooder. I've found that most chicks aren't very territorial until they're a bit older than that, the only exception in my experience being my Old English Game bantams. In your shoes, I'd probably just move them all together in the new coop once finished and sit with them for a bit to see if things look okay. If they don't get along, I'd recommend putting up a stretch of fence to divide their coop and going with the no-touch integration method, letting them see each other without the older ones being able to push the younger ones around until they get used to one another. Keep the brooders ready to fire up just in case you need them, of course!

I would probably keep the little one with foot issues back, with the younger chicks if they do hatch, until he's a bit more sturdy. If you have maybe one or two other chicks around his size right now, he'd probably appreciate their company more than that mirror!

 

[Newtoraisingchicks]

Thanks for the advice! I think I will put the oldest 3 chicks from the younger brooder in the new coop with all the older chicks, and keep the youngest 3 back to keep the baby with the foot issues company. I'll watch everyone closely and see how that goes! I appreciate your input.

 

[gimmie birdies]

If I mix ages, I make sure there are more younger than older chicks.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hello. I am currently raising 15 chicks ranging from 3 days old to 4 weeks old. I have 8 of them, ages 3-4 weeks together in a brooder box. In another brooder box, I have 6 chicks who range from 1-3 weeks old. They are all a couple of days apart, from a staggered hatch. My youngest is just 3 days old, and has curly toes, so I have been doing physical therapy with him and keeping him separate from the others. I also have 2 eggs left that have not yet hatched, and may or may not. I am almost finished building a coop that is large enough for all potentially 17 of them, and I am hoping to be able to keep them all together in it. I am new to raising chicks, and not sure the best way to go about it. I have heard I should not keep chicks together who are more than 2 weeks apart in age. Is there any way to get all these chicks to live together in a coop? I have 4 other adult birds in an outside coop and I'd like to eventually put them all together, but I am planning on keeping the chicks all in the new coop for now, until everyone is fully feathered. My question is, what is the best way to go about introducing all these chicks to each other, and at what ages is it safe to do so? Do I need to plan on keeping just the oldest group, within 2 weeks of each other in the new coop and keep the smaller ones in other brooder boxes? When can I introduce them all to each other and what is the best way of doing that? Thanks so much for your input!

Your adult birds will most likely pick on all of the younger ones. I've found it pretty easy to combine the little ones up to several weeks. Even when I was putting a few giant (by comparison) speckled sussex chicks in with a tiny little silkie orphan, that worked, but I could never safely integrate them to the main coop with the adults until they were the same size. With silkies, that's at about 4.5-5 months old; other breeds, it most likely is sooner. Other than that, @pipdzipdnreadytogo has other things I'd have suggested as well.

I could not help but notice one of your brooders, the deep box, must have a heat lamp above it. Maybe it's just my perception, but it would appear that's heating up the chicks below but they have no where to go to cool off if they get too warm. I'm not being critical as you're doing the best you can but if that's the case, maybe try find a bigger, wider box. They can't regulate their own body temps at that age, so they have to get away from the heat source if they get too warm.

You're doing great!

 

[Newtoraisingchicks]

Your adult birds will most likely pick on all of the younger ones. I've found it pretty easy to combine the little ones up to several weeks. Even when I was putting a few giant (by comparison) speckled sussex chicks in with a tiny little silkie orphan, that worked, but I could never safely integrate them to the main coop with the adults until they were the same size. With silkies, that's at about 4.5-5 months old; other breeds, it most likely is sooner. Other than that, @pipdzipdnreadytogo has other things I'd have suggested as well.

I could not help but notice one of your brooders, the deep box, must have a heat lamp above it. Maybe it's just my perception, but it would appear that's heating up the chicks below but they have no where to go to cool off if they get too warm. I'm not being critical as you're doing the best you can but if that's the case, maybe try find a bigger, wider box. They can't regulate their own body temps at that age, so they have to get away from the heat source if they get too warm.

You're doing great!

Thanks for the advice! All the chicks are together now, ages 2 weeks to 5 weeks. The youngest chick sadly passed away at 1 week 4 days of age, and I put all the rest together at that time. They are all doing just fine together. I'm planning to place their coop inside the larger coop outside once everyone is fully feathered. I'll let the older chickens get used to them that way for a week or two (maybe more) before letting them all mingle. I only have 2 adult hens and 1 adult rooster though, along with one chick who is already integrated into the adult flock as she is being raised by mom who is very protective. They seem to be doing just fine together. I suspect they will do ok when I add the 14 new chicks to the flock, since the adults will be so outnumbered.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thanks for the advice! All the chicks are together now, ages 2 weeks to 5 weeks. The youngest chick sadly passed away at 1 week 4 days of age, and I put all the rest together at that time. They are all doing just fine together. I'm planning to place their coop inside the larger coop outside once everyone is fully feathered. I'll let the older chickens get used to them that way for a week or two (maybe more) before letting them all mingle. I only have 2 adult hens and 1 adult rooster though, along with one chick who is already integrated into the adult flock as she is being raised by mom who is very protective. They seem to be doing just fine together. I suspect they will do ok when I add the 14 new chicks to the flock, since the adults will be so outnumbered.

That sounds like a plan. That smaller coop would still be in there when you let them mingle so the younger ones could run in there if they perchance do get picked on? I hope this works out for you!