8 Week old chicks-Can I put them in the Big girl Coop?

[Luanna]

Good Afternoon,
I have 15 8-week old chicks in my basement and they are making a mess. I have a very large Coop with only 3 1-yr old hens.

Can I put the babies in the Big girl Coop now? I've been told to do it, it's ok and I've been told not yet, they won't make it.

I was planning to put all 15 in the coop early in the AM and sit with them for a hour or so to make sure everyone plays nice.

Should I or Shouldn't I??
Please help.....

 

[BayBay Peepers]

What breed are the hens and what breed are your chicks?

By 8 weeks they should be fully feathered and ready to venture to their new coop. It's a lot better to integrate when birds are like size though. If they're close to the same size try it. Or if you're absolutely desperate to get them out do it. Sneak them in at night and just check on them early in the am to make sure all is well. They will need time to figure out a pecking order, but as long as no blood is shed it should be ok.

 

[Luanna]

I have 1 Buff Orphington 1 Ameraucana and 1 that I'm not sure of. All one year old.

The babies are Buff Orphington, Black Australorp, Golden comets and RIR. 15 in all

Well I'm going to try to add them and see what happens. If they start fighting I will move the babies to the farm house. Thanks for all your help

 

[Mtn Laurel]

It's usually recommended that the birds be of almost equal size before mixing. That gives the younger ones a fighting chance. Many will place the younger birds in an area next to the larger girls, so that they are separated by a wire fence. That way they can see each other and become acclimated to each other before mixing the two flocks.

If you mix the two and one group is smaller than the other, try to provide areas where the little ones can escape and/or hide from the bigger girls. They can injure the little ones if they've a mind to do so.

Good Luck!

 

[MrEnix]

I had that same problem. 3 hens and three 8 week olds. It worked but I let them live in a separate part of the coop for two weeks so they could see each other but not touch. But they will hash things out. Pecking order and all.

 

[song of joy]

Can you temporarily partition an area inside the coop for the little ones or put the little ones in a cage within the coop, so the older hens can see them and get used to them? If you could do this for a couple of weeks, it would ease the introduction. It's risky to introduce them when there's such a big size difference.