Can a brand new chick be put in with 2 week old chicks?

[lazy gardener]

Please don't put perfume on your chicks! They have delicate respiratory systems and that could be fatal. Take it from someone who has asthma! I would definitely get 2 new ones. chickens are terribly cliquey... worse than 6th grade girls. The new baby should have a friend with it so it won't be the one left out of the fun and games. You know what they say about "3's a crowd!" Your other 2 have already formed a bond. Good luck.

 

[QueenCleo]

Oh i am sorry i thought if it worked on guinea pigs i thought it would work on chickens

 

[MandaMunky]

I agree with picking up two more or none at all. They do form bonds & the two older, bigger, bonded ones will undoubtedly pick on the new baby. Not necessarily out of spite or to be mean, but out of brutal curiosity. It may also be a good idea to separate them by using a hardware cloth partition, as suggested.

Good luck & so sorry for your loss!

 

[soggycrunchy]

We had to but a hardware cloth divider between them for a week bc the older ones were so much bigger that they were just trampling the new babies.

 

[Bantamboys]

I have five chicks, they are maybe six weeks old now. All Hens. I have a 12 x 12 foot fence, with a small coop that I put them in at night. That being said. I have always had chickens that were very affectionate. They became best buddies with a duck I had that lost his bro to a fox. I sit with them every day for a bit, so does my cat.

Just bought three more babies, they had a surplus at TSC. They are three days old -to get back to your question. Of course you could let them co-habitate, the weather would be the factor. Little babie chickes need help sustaining their temperature other than that let them be friends.

 

[Gayelynne]

I need help figuring out how to put 3 week Olds in with two new babies. Yes a screen might help them see each other but not to peck them to death. Any suggestions? Someone please help me figure out this delema??? I want to be able to put all of my new ones together with my other 3 full grown chickens. And how long do I have to wait to do that? And what's the best way to do it??? Any one have any good ideas for me.
Thank you so much
A total chicken lover
GayeLynne

 

[azygous]

I need help figuring out how to put 3 week Olds in with two new babies. Yes a screen might help them see each other but not to peck them to death. Any suggestions? Someone please help me figure out this delema??? I want to be able to put all of my new ones together with my other 3 full grown chickens. And how long do I have to wait to do that? And what's the best way to do it??? Any one have any good ideas for me.
Thank you so much
A total chicken lover
GayeLynne

It's pushing your luck to try to mix day-olds with three-week olds without a barrier. How many three-week olds are there? If there are more than two, the day-olds will be over-matched. Chickens socially organize themselves into units according to when they begin to be brooded together. So your three-week olds are already an established unit. If there happens to be more of them than the new babies, yes, they will gang up on the two small ones.

If you try to put two tiny newcomers with the older ones, they will resist it until they have time to become used to the new babies. So, yes, a screen partition is absolutely necessary or there will be injuries. It's better to try to brood them all together, though, because integrating them later could be much harder.

But you do want to keep them all together in the same brooder so they will learn to be a flock, even though they will always be two separate units within the flock.

The easiest way to do this is to brood them all together in your coop. ( You do have a coop, don't you? )The three weeks olds will be weaning off heat this week, and will no longer need heat by the time they're four weeks old, or perhaps only at night. So what I recommend is to brood the new babies under the heating pad system. That way they will have all the heat they need for the next four weeks while the older chicks won't run the risk of getting too much heat. You will need to go over to the thread "Mama Heating Pad for the Brooder" and read the first few pages to learn how to set the frame up and how it works.

Then read my article on brooding outdoors because it has important information on how to integrate two different size groups, although I don't think you will need the "panic room system for these chicks. You don't mention if you have adult chickens. You will, in that case. Anyway, it will inform you of all the advantages of brooding outdoors and put your mind at ease that there really is very little downside.

By the time your new chicks are three weeks old they will be old enough to be able to effectively deal with the older chicks, and you will probably be able to take down the partition and let them all be together. If you see problems, I have another article in that list below on how to deal with a chick who is a bully. Look down below this post and you will see them listed under "Articles".

 

[Gayelynne]

Thank you so much for all your help and yes I have 3 adults no rooster and 9- 2 going 3 week Olds and 2 black brand new ones I just couldn't resist. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. But I'm truly hoping on a good get together flock. So next week my 3 week Olds won't need heat. That's good to know maybe just in the pm when it gets chilly here in wis I'm trying on setting everything up right now it's hard bc all I have is boxes and 1 large kennel so there all going in the kennel with a screen between them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed hoping they start to like each other. Can I ask you how long before I move them outside in the kennel with my adults? 6 weeks is what I heard but you really seem to know a lot about everything. Could I ask you when's a good time?and how long do I leave them get used to each other before I can group them all as one? I was looking for that article but I can't see it down below could you send me a link somehow? Thank you again you have been a god scent. A total chicken lover
GayeLynne

 

[azygous]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...rooder-and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors
Read the article. It's full of all the information you need to brood outdoors and then integrate the chicks with the adult chickens.

I would move the older chicks and the two new babies out to your coop/kennel right away. Of course, if it doesn't include a secure, enclosed hen house, you're sort of out of luck. You do need for the chicks to be completely sheltered from cold drafts, rain, and predators.

My system works best if you brood right alongside the adult chickens, not wait until the chicks are six weeks old as "conventional wisdom" dictates. (I ignore conventional wisdom every chance I get.) The theory is the adults come to accept the chicks early on as part of the flock, so when they begin to mingle with the adults, there is almost no aggression. And with the panic room system, the chicks are guaranteed a safe have if there is any attempt at bullying.

To clarify the heat weaning process for your soon-to-be-three week olds, you need to watch their behavior and as they tend to hang out farther from the heat lamp, then you decrease the heat. Also, on nice days, you should be taking the older chicks outdoors for brief periods to get them used to cooler temps, increasing the time each day. This encourages feather growth, and by four weeks, they are usually feathered out enough so they will only need maybe a 100 watt bulb for heat at night.

Your new babies will not need a heat lamp at all. They will wean themselves off the heating pad as they grow, and you will know they're weaning when you see them spending more time away from the heat cave or on top of it. Please join that thread and they will be thrilled to take you under their wing, (notice how many chicken metaphors we have in our language?) and help you to set it up and understand how it works, and with any problems you might run into.

By the way, the articles are again listed right below this post in blue type, indicating they are hyperlinks to the article section of BYC.

 

[Gayelynne]

I'm just so heartbroken today. The Nabor Dog came in my yard and tore up one of my Adult layers. Then took it next door. When I went outide to do a head count I seen clumps of feathers I knew something happened. I looked franticly and found her right next to the Nabor driveway. At first I thought she was dead but when I got close to her she opened one eye. I tried to save her but now that she's passed and I wanted to know if putting numbing stuff on her before I tried to stich her. Might of killed her? Please just wanting to ease my mind. Anyone out there knows if this is true or not. It's the stuff they use in hospitals before they stich you uo.Thanks if anyone knows if this is true or not Please reply. Thank you
A Heart broken chicken lover. G