age of chicks....

[Myst4]

At what age is safe to add chicks to my flock of adults. My older chicks will be 6 weeks old this Sunday coming and have just a hint of fluff. When all of their fluff is gone, when can I add them to my flock? Do I have to wait until they are adults?

 

[raindrop]

The usual recommendation is to wait until the new chicks are pretty close to the same size as the flock. How many chicks do you have? How big is the adult flock? May also depend on how much space you have for the chicks to hide if they are being bullied.

 

[Myst4]

I have 12 five week old chicks. My flock is 19 hens and 1 rooster. They are free range chickens.Their coop is a good size too(will just have to add another perch though).

 

[ZooMummzy]

I've been wondering the same thing since my next two in line to go outside are 7 weeks old. The 8 in the coop now are 12 and 14 week old pullets. They just keep getting bigger and at this rate, it's going to be August before I get the other girls out! Plus I have two 4 week olds....never again will I get them so spaced out. What was I thinking?

 

[Suess hens]

I'm in the same boat. But I am planning on moving them out there as soon as the nights are warm enough or they are feathered enough. I have had all of them out in the yard free ranging together, or the little ones in the pen, and my Silkie doesn't really care, and my Polish just wants them to share. I would say, see the reaction of your flock to them. That whole put them together with a separation and see how they take to the little ones being there.