Best Age To Introduce New Baby Chicks To Flock

[TJ]

Hello, I have 10 chickens that are 3 months old and 8 chickens that are 1 month old. When and how do I introduce the youngest to the oldest?
Right now the 1 month olds are protected in a fenced brooder with food, water, & heat lamp inside the chicken house to where they all can see and hear each other.
Thank you in advance for your help!
-tj

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'd be cautious introducing chicks to chicks. I'd probably wait another few weeks than try supervised mingling. If you see problems than separate them back out and try the next day. Keep it up until you feel comfortable leaving them together. Make sure there are places for them to get away from each other. Sometimes there more aggression when they are all younger.

 

[TJ]

I'd be cautious introducing chicks to chicks. I'd probably wait another few weeks than try supervised mingling. If you see problems than separate them back out and try the next day. Keep it up until you feel comfortable leaving them together. Make sure there are places for them to get away from each other. Sometimes there more aggression when they are all younger.

Thank you OHLD! I know I have 2-3 weeks yet before beginning introduction, I was just curious to know the age that you begin to let youngsters mingle with teenagers.
I know feathers will fly as the pecking order is reestablished, I’m dreading it actually.
Thank you for your advice! Wish me luck!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thank you OHLD! I know I have 2-3 weeks yet before beginning introduction, I was just curious to know the age that you begin to let youngsters mingle with teenagers.
I know feathers will fly as the pecking order is reestablished, I’m dreading it actually.
Thank you for your advice! Wish me luck!

Sometimes it goes fine and other times it's frustratingly slow to intergrate. Hopefully it goes well for you. Good luck.

 

[Annie08009]

Keep them separated where they can see each other it took mine a long time but it worked I have a problem with the older one taking over the food.

 

[Ridgerunner]

In Missouri I'd stop the heat lamp next week. They probably don't need it now at 1 month old but certainly will not need it next week.

In any integration I find how much room you have makes a huge amount of difference. Each time is different, they all have their own personalities, but what I typically see is that the younger quickly learn that if they invade the personal space of the older they may get pecked or worse. It usually does not take long for the younger to become terrified of the older and form a separate flock that avoids the older ones. Older might be a week, it might be years.

You are dealing with living animals, of course there can be exceptions to this. Sometimes they mingle a lot without issues (especially with only 1 or 2 weeks difference) but I find that to be fairly rare. Usually mine form a separate flock.

If the young stay separate the older ones leave mine alone. They are living animals, you can have exceptions. It is possible you will have one or more that go out of their way to track down the young ones to attack. If you see that you need to deal with it. Maybe lock up the aggressor for a few days in isolation to see if you can adjust their attitude.

For this to work you need enough room for the younger to avoid the older. If room is tight this can become harder. You can still try things like adding clutter to improve the quality of what room you have. Give them something to hide under, behind, or over. Provide widely separated food and water stations so they can eat and drink without being bullied by the older ones.

At night do not expect them to sleep together in a group. Your coop needs to be big enough that they can find a safe place to sleep where the older don't bully them as they settle in to sleep at night. And you want to be out there first thing in the morning to open the pop door and let them out if they are getting beat up in the coop when they all wake up. I usually find my younger ones up on the roosts with the older ones on the coop floor and things very peaceful. Not everyone has their roosts high enough that they are a safe haven for the younger.

I let my younger ones sleep totally separately from the older in different predator-safe buildings until they prove to me that they can coexist outside during the day before I try moving them into the same building at night.

Personally I start introducing chicks to the flock as soon as they come out of the incubator, I get them from the post office, or a broody hen hatches them. By five weeks of age the brooder-raised chicks can usually be let loose to find their own way. They quickly learn to avoid the adults and the adults do not go out of their way to bother them. I have an 8 feet x 12 feet coop and over 2,000 square feet outside. If my space were tighter I might have to do it differently.