12 week old chick , ready to be put in with flock of 5 hens ???

[gottalovemychickens]

Is 12 weeks still to young to be unleashed with 5 hens that are about 7 months old ?

The 12 week old pullets are still eating chick/grower food so i dont know if they are ready to be unleashed with the others

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I release my young at 8 weeks old. No problems,except the usual peck on the head,for pecking order purposes.

 

[gottalovemychickens]

Oh ok well what about the food issue ?

Arent you supposed to feed the chick/pullets grower / chick food till they are 16 weeks ??

Or can i feed them normal layer food now , and just let them peck away at each other ?

I am releasing 28 12 week old in with 5 7 month olds , so i hope the pecking order does not go long

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Quote:
You're lucky - our older flock is quite merciless everytime we've introduced new pullets - they keep the youngsters from eating & drinking (I have to set out separate feed stations for the young ones).

You can try introducing your younger pullets now, but make sure you watch them very closely. If the older ones are aggressive, you might need to wait another month until they are about the same size as the older ones - they'll still be aggressive until pecking order is established, but won't be able to inflict as much damage. When you do introduce them (no matter what the age), make sure to add more food & water stations and keep an eye on them. I've read stories on this board from people thinking the chicks were fine after putting them in with the older chickens and then finding dead ones the next day. The more space you have, the easier it will be - also, if you have more younger pullets than older ones, that helps a lot.

 

[gottalovemychickens]

ya i have 28-30 new 12 week pullets well new to the flock and they will be joining only 5 hens so the older hens will be out numbered like nothing flat hehe

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I have about 50 hens,& the young ones always flock together. I broadcast scratch & Gamebird start crumbles. There seems to be enough for everybody. the older hens will jump the crowd, but the chicks scatter. The hens let them know whose boss,but no damage to the youngsters.

 

[gottalovemychickens]

sounds good !!!

 

[chickenlover54]

ya it should be fine, they pick on them a lil in the beginning but its normal