adult & baby chickens in the same coop?? Is it possible

[Rachel's Hobby Hatchery]

I have 11 baby chicks (6 weeks old) that I would like to put in the pen with the bigger birds (1 adult Roo, 2 adult hens, pekin, runner, and call ducks, but my call drake is VERY aggressave tward all of the other birds (even turkeys). How do I put them together & make sure the babies are safe? should I introduce the adult birds 1 at a time (I put 4 five month old cockeralls in the shed with them a week ago)... They do have protection from the bigger birds but I dont thik they know enough to not get stepped on or what if they get bitten when they are trying to eat or drink? also, I think the little drake will be able to get through the holes to the "safe spot"... I dont know what to do! PLEASE HELP!!!!!

 

[Lollipop]

Rach, you`re gonna have a lot of trouble out of the adult hens and the cockerals. The mature cock will be fine with them in most situations. Dunno about the ducks and turkeys. It`s just not safe for the little guys in that pen..........Pop

 

[Rachel's Hobby Hatchery]

The cockeralls are fine with them, no problum at all. The hens have been around the babies & havnt tryed to hurt them ( I had them in a cage on my front lawn in the afternoons before I put them in the shed & my hens have free range throught the yard & have seen the chicks). do you think that means anything or is it difrent when they are out of the cage??? the turkeys will be gone this weekend

so I wont have to worry about that

dont ask

 

[Dixiedoodle]

My big girls never paid any attention to the chicks in the cage next to their run..They have been their for 7 weeks and are 10 weeks old. I started free ranging them all together and they peck at them if they get close.. Today, for the first time I saw two chicks go into the big girls run... Well, three of the Big Girls ran into the coop pecked/pulled feathers and chased them around, until they found the open gate.. I would not put them together until they are much older.. but that is just me..

 

[chicks4kids]

I have a broad range of ages in my coop...all the way down to just 7 days old....the babies will learn to run away if they think a chicken is too close them. It's in their nature. They learn real quick. I have had broodies all spring and summer and added the babies into the population once they hit a week old. But I also had them in a pen that shared a chicken wire wall with the adults when they were first born up until that first week-so that the adults could get used to seeing the little fuzzballs....then they were out in population with mama at a week old.

Of course they have their own spats, but they're short and quick.

As far as your drake goes, since he seems to be the most aggressive, perhaps you should pen him up so he doesn't encourage the others to pick on the young ones. It might also tame him down a bit in the process. If he is as aggressive as you say, maybe penning him up would also calm everyone else down as well...

 

[Lollipop]

Well, see there, everyone has a different experience. I`ve had dead chicks from encouners with cockerals and adult hens and others have no trouble at all. Head scratcher, ain`t it?......Pop

 

[Chickenaddict]

The call drake will try and kill off the babies I am sure of it as I had the same problem with my call drake with chicks as well as his own offspring. However now that I don't have the ducks anymore the babies are always hen raised in the coop with the rest of the flock with no problems.

 

[Rachel's Hobby Hatchery]

well, I couldnt waite any longer. put them in on sunday. nobody is dead but we have had the big ones chace & peck at the little ones but the little ones run away now. The drake has been a problum but he cant run as fast as the chicks LOL. The turkeys dont even give them a second look. my biggest problum has been with my pullett & Tom (pullett pecks at tom's butt all the time) & my cockerslls & call drake ( Cockeralls go after the call, cometimes they have thrown him across the yard) sigh-I cant win for loosing