Age to introduce chicks to flock?

[SparrowSong]

We have 4 "day-old chicks" in a brooder, and 3 full grown hens outside in a coop. Will it be safe to introduce them all to each other when the littles go outside? (I'm thinking at about 3 or 4 weeks since the temp here is averaging 85* during the day?)

Also, the older chickens are eating layer feed, and the younger are eating starter/grower feed. The plan is for them all to free range during the day, but how do I keep their food separate and get them to eat the right thing if they're all in the same coop together at night? Or can they all (littles and laying) eat the same food?

Thanks!

 

[SIMZ]

As for feed, you can feed them all a Flockraiser type of feed until the little ones are ready to go to layer. We have a few kinds of general poultry feed to choose from locally.

I would be very concerned about mixing them in 3-4 weeks. The big ones can (probably will) seriously hurt or kill the little ones. Is there a way you can keep them together, but give the little ones their own area and coop until they're more the same size (12 weeks?). I've had pretty uneventful introductions doing that. The big ones get used to seeing the little ones running around with them and the little ones stay protected by a fence in their own area. Finally, I start opening up the fence around 12 weeks and letting them mingle. A week or so after that I take away the little coop and integrate the little ones in with the big ones.

 

[hundleychickens]

I have 24 hens, 1 rooster, and 8 chicks 2 of them are roos.
I kept my chicks from day one ok maybe day 2 or 3 (got them from a store April 29th) in the chicken coop with all the big chicken. They were in their own oversized bird cage but always in the coop the only time they were out was when i put them in the chicken tractor so they could get fresh air. I believe this is why I had great luck with them when I put them out with the big chickens. They were not strangers since they lived together and saw each other all day every day. This is also how my grandma has always done it.
Yesterday 6/25 was their first day out with the big chickens and they did great they got "picked on" very little and mostly stayed in a group together. I did tie up two of the little doors up on their cage so if they did feel threatened they could go in if needed. I also kept their food in the cage so the big ones couldn't get to it. This is their second night in the coop with the cage open and all 8 were roosting by the big chickens. The first night half were roosting by the big ones the other half were roosting in the nesting boxes.
as for feed... I'm still trying to figure out how to keep the chicks away from the adult food
this picture is of their second night roosting

 

[SparrowSong]

Thank you both very much!