Adding Chicks

[Lumikko]

Our trio of buff orpingtons are three weeks old. Looking like two pullets and a cockerel. Unfortunately we will be unable to keep the cockerel due to town ordinances. He's staying with us for a bit though.

We will be adding two more buff orpington chicks to the clan next week. Our trio will be four weeks old when we bring the several day old duo home. My plan was to keep them separate initially as the trio will be ready to move outside soon.

How do people recommend integrating chickens with this sort of age gap?

 

[sdm111]

Watch the older ones with picking

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I am not sure I would put them together just yet. The little ones could get stepped on and they don't need that kind of competition for feed until they get bigger and stronger IMO. I think I would wait a couple of weeks before integrating them. @Kiki, @azygous, what would you guys do?

 

[Lumikko]

I am not sure I would put them together just yet. The little ones could get stepped on and they don't need that kind of competition for feed until they get bigger and stronger IMO. I think I would wait a couple of weeks before integrating them. @Kiki, @azygous, what would you guys do?

The plan was to keep them separate for a few weeks. Duo in the little brooder and trio in the big brooder. The trio will be ready to move to their outdoor coop and duo will then move to the big brooder.

I'm just wondering about best method to integrate the two once ready. Will it be once the duo are ready to go outside?

Thanks all!!

 

[Kiki]

I am not sure I would put them together just yet. The little ones could get stepped on and they don't need that kind of competition for feed until they get bigger and stronger IMO. I think I would wait a couple of weeks before integrating them. @Kiki, @azygous, what would you guys do?

I don't integrate so I can't really help, sorry.

 

[azygous]

Four weeks is the absolute outer limit for age spread with different aged chicks. It may work. It may not. It's been my experience that baby chicks don't notice size differences until after four weeks.

I had two different aged groups this time last year, two week age spread, and the older ones immediately bonded with the day-olds and there was never any conflict. They all snuggled together like a pile of puppies from the get-go.

Years ago, I had two groups with a six week age spread, and there was no way they were going to be compatible until the smaller ones reached size parity. But what I did was to brood them side by side in a partitioned brooder. One side had heat, the other didn't. But all the chicks could interact through a see through barrier. Once they all reached the same size, they got along well.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I don't integrate so I can't really help, sorry.

Ok, thanks

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Four weeks is the absolute outer limit for age spread with different aged chicks. It may work. It may not. It's been my experience that baby chicks don't notice size differences until after four weeks.

I had two different aged groups this time last year, two week age spread, and the older ones immediately bonded with the day-olds and there was never any conflict. They all snuggled together like a pile of puppies from the get-go.

Years ago, I had two groups with a six week age spread, and there was no way they were going to be compatible until the smaller ones reached size parity. But what I did was to brood them side by side in a partitioned brooder. One side had heat, the other didn't. But all the chicks could interact through a see through barrier. Once they all reached the same size, they got along well.

That helps, thank you!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The plan was to keep them separate for a few weeks. Duo in the little brooder and trio in the big brooder. The trio will be ready to move to their outdoor coop and duo will then move to the big brooder.

I'm just wondering about best method to integrate the two once ready. Will it be once the duo are ready to go outside?

Thanks all!!

I have had excellent results using the "see-don't-touch" method I learned here when integrating younger birds to an established flock. The new birds go in a pen adjacent to the older birds with chicken wire (or hardware cloth) between the two groups for a couple of weeks. The one fine day you open a gate between the two and they hardly notice that there is no barrier between them. Of course the younger birds have shelter, food and water in their enclosure and if necessary you use the time to gradually switch them over to the adults' food. We use all-flock, as it's not good for non-layers to eat a laying formula due to the added calcium. Instead we provide crushed oyster shell in a separate feeder, which the laying members of the flock will take as needed. Grit is available in another feeder as well. Good luck!

 

[Lumikko]

Four weeks is the absolute outer limit for age spread with different aged chicks. It may work. It may not. It's been my experience that baby chicks don't notice size differences until after four weeks.

I had two different aged groups this time last year, two week age spread, and the older ones immediately bonded with the day-olds and there was never any conflict. They all snuggled together like a pile of puppies from the get-go.

Years ago, I had two groups with a six week age spread, and there was no way they were going to be compatible until the smaller ones reached size parity. But what I did was to brood them side by side in a partitioned brooder. One side had heat, the other didn't. But all the chicks could interact through a see through barrier. Once they all reached the same size, they got along well.

This is super helpful, thank you. I do have a couple of follow up questions.

1. If I introduce the newbies to the trio, what am I watching for? Pecking and bullying?
2. I'm weaning the trio off of their heating pad. If I add the duo to their breeder, should the heating pad remain in there?
3. How do you recommend handling the move to outside with a mixed age group? I was planning on moving the trio out into their coop, without heat, at 6 weeks of age. Should this be delayed to, say, 8 weeks and then move them all out together?

Thank you!