Best way to introduce new Chicks to older Chicks...

[ChickenFox]

Ok, my main flock is now about 12 weeks old and is a mixture of LF and Bantams. They have established a pecking order and all get along great together. Now I want to introduce my 3 EE chicks who are about 9 weeks old. What is the best way to accomplish this? I've been letting the EE graze in a temporary run extension I added to my temporary coop that houses the main youngsters. As I watch I see the larger ones try to peck the EE's through the chicken wire, They've been able to see each other almost everyday for hours for the past month.

Hopefully in the next 2 weeks I'll have my main coop finished. The coop itself will have about 32 sq ft and with both runs on either side they'll have around 120 sq ft to run in. I'm designing it with a equal size run on both sides of the coop with doors I can open and shut as I please so I can seperate if neccesary. When I get that finished should I just put everyone in there at once since it will all be new to everybody? or should I try to put the EE's on the roost bar at night when the others are sleeping? Or maybe let the EE's in first?

Don't know what to do! Any advice is greatly apprieciated. Oh and I have 2 Banty Roo's that grew up together in the first flock and I beleive one of the EE's is a Roo as well....I want to get them socialized before they hit maturity to try to increase my chances of everybody getting along...

 

[Den in Penn]

I'd wait to put them all in the new coop at the same time. Put a couple of feed and waterers in and make sure there are places for the younger ones to get out of the line of sight of the older ones. I think you may have problems with the amount of space for fourteen birds, even if some of them are bantams. The coop at 32 sq. ft. is tight for a small flock. The run could make up for the tight coop if it were larger.

 

[ChickenFox]

1/3 of the entire flock are Bantams. I thought the run and coop would be big enough until I finish fencing in my yard this year where I can let them out to graze a few hours a day. It's 1/3 acre...Since they're still youngsters will they be alright until the end of the summer?

 

[Den in Penn]

If they have grown up together they should be good for the summer. Its when the weather turns bad and they stay in the coop that the problems can start. The USDA's recommendation of two and a half sq.ft. works with larger flocks when the total of empty space is larger and there is more room for the pecked on to get away into the crowd. The smaller the coop the less empty space and less room for a disagreement to fissile out by one backing down and running away. On this forum the recommended space for LF, is four sq ft per chicken. At thirty two sq ft that would mean eight birds, I think you could get away with a couple more at that size. The numbers are fudgeable with a larger run the less time they will spend in the coop the easier it will go. If you can put a roof over part of the run to give protection that will help. I hope you can make it work, some do.

 

[ChickenFox]

Yes theres going to be a roof on the runs. The only thing I haven't decided yet is whether I'm going to cover them entirely or only half so they have some sunny spots. Other than the coldest nights in winter the coop doors will be open at all times so they can come and go as they please. I don't want to crowd them but Hubby doesn't like chickens so he won't let me build the run and coop much larger. Lol. I might be able to convince him to let me add an extra foot or 2 on each side of both the runs and coop ... I'm going to have to be sly about it though and make it seem like his idea. Lol