6 week old chicks separated in coop with existing flock??? help!

[jobear]

We have a flock of 8 layers and just put 6 week old ones in a sectioned off area of the coop. They have their own food and water...we put fence around the sides of the sectioned off space, but didn't have enough for the top and I used a bed sheet?!--will that work enough to keep the old flock out?! How long will it take with them in this sectioned area before I should let them out to co-mingle? The hens usually go out into a run until noon and they I let them out to free range the yard.
Thanks!!!!

 

[jobear]

the chicks are 6 weeks old....and feathered out...but definitely not as big as the existing flock! (they are a year old).

 

[Neilette]

Well I'm new, but I had a good experience mixing hens and 5 week old chicks by setting up a brooder-area that only the chicks had access to. That is, a box with a heat lamp and a door too small for the hens. The chicks had a place to escape to in case of emergency, and mostly the hens just went on with their hen-ly duties.

 

[felidaet]

You should wait until the young birds are close to the same size as the adults before integrating them. If they are much smaller than the adults the adults may attack and even kill the young ones. I am fortunate to have a second coop for my new flock. I am going to let the two flocks share the run but it will be divided in half with poultry wire. I will remove the poultry wire and let them integrate into one flock when they are about 18 weeks old.