Can I introduce some new Barred Rock chicks to a Brood of Production reds?

jwsmith1959

Songster
Feb 23, 2020
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Orchard, Texas
Can I introduce some new Barred Rock chicks (female - 4-5 days old) to some 20-22 week old Production Reds? If so, what would be the best way to do it? I have a large coop with 8 almost adults....I have plenty of nesting boxes and a 3X3 ground box on one end. I am not familiar with chicks and would like some advice.

Thanks.
 
Define intoduce? Let them meet them, or actually putting them in the coop with them? If its just letting them meet, do it slowly and watch them closely for signs of distress or bullying. If its putting them in the coop with them for food, the chicks are much to young. They're not even a week old and still need their heat lamp, among other concerns. Like still need it for about 5 more weeks, depending on ambient temperatures outside. And even then its a bit iffy adding them straight to your current flock. It's a learning process, both for the new chicks, and the older ones.
 
If the production reds are 22 weeks old .No the babies need heat. Grown chickens do not automatically care for young birds. Please look into how to care for chicks. If the production reds are only a week old yes they can be brooded together. They may need more than 3×3 feet as they grow.
 
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Do you mean there are 20-22 birds a week old or each current bird is over 5 months old?
Good question, i didn't even catch that. Yes, are they 20 to 22 weeks old, or are there 20 to 22 additional one week old chicks? If they are indeed over 20 weeks old, no. They baby chicks are much to young to leave their brooder and heat lamp. And also, the 3x3 box on the ground, are you referring to the coops run? Like their outdoor space? If so, that is no where near enough space for your current adult chickens, let alone more chicks to add.
 
Can I introduce some new Barred Rock chicks (female - 4-5 days old) to some 20-22 week old Production Reds?
Yes, you can integrate them to Production Reds, other Barred Rocks, Wyandotte, Rocks, Sussex, and any other chicken.

If so, what would be the best way to do it? I have a large coop with 8 almost adults....I have plenty of nesting boxes and a 3X3 ground box on one end.
This is the question. We do this a lot of different ways. I don't consider any one way "best", just a lot of different ways that can work. You are a little west of Houston, thanks for including that. You are warming up nicely but you probably have some nights in the 50's Fahrenheit ahead of you. That means they need supplemental heat for a bit longer, say another 3 weeks.

My brooder is in the coop. Mine grow up with the flock which I think makes integration easier. If you can provide a safe heat source you could maybe raise them out there. You said you have 8 older ones, how many young chicks do you have? They grow really fast, that 3x3 box may get crowded pretty fast.

My biggest issue with brooding outside is dealing with temperature swings. It's not that unusual to have a 30 to 40 degree swing pretty much overnight. The brooder needs to have one area warm enough in the coolest temperatures and an area cool enough in the warmest conditions. That might be hard to manage in a 3x3 box.

Many people brood in places other than the coop. Very common. Where you are you can probably plan on having the chicks outside in another three weeks.

How big (in feet) is that large coop? "Large" doesn't really tell me much. How much room do they have outside? When is that outside room available? It helps to know what you are working with to be able to give suggestions that suit your situation.

I am not familiar with chicks and would like some advice..
There are some generic guidelines when integrating with chicks having a few extra thoughts. House them across wire for a while so they get to know each other. When you integrate give them as much room as you can. You can improve the quality of that room by adding clutter. Clutter means things they can hide under, behind, or over. Having widely spaced feed and water stations helps a lot, especially if they are not in line of sight of each other. Be patient and let then work things out at their pace as much as you can.

With chicks there is an added complication that the more mature chickens outrank the immature chicks in the pecking order. Each flock is different and has its own flock dynamics, but often if a chick enters the personal space of a more mature chicken they get pecked. it usually doesn't take them long to learn to avoid the older ones. What I wind up with is two different flocks, one avoiding the other and the other leaving the babies alone. This can go on until the younger ones mature enough to join the adult flock. With my pullets that's usually when those younger pullets start to lay.

Again, each flock is different. Sometimes they merge quite well. But usually they don't, my younger pullets usually don't sleep on the main roosts with the adults until they start to lay. As long as it is not in my nests and is predator safe I don't care where mine sleep.
Many of us do this all the time. Usually many of us don't have big problems but occasionally some people wind up with dead chicks. There are risks. The more we know about your specific situation the more likely we can give specific suggestions that apply to your situation.
 
Thank you for the diverse responses. The adult chickens are 20-22 weeks old (8). They are Production Reds.

I have the opportunity of adding some chicks to the brood, but they are Barred Rocks's. If it is a bad idea, I have no issue with not doing it now. Our night-time temps are approaching 74-78 degrees which is why I was wondering about chicks. I have a heat lamp if needed. The coop-run is around 9X45. I have nesting boxes along one wall and a small angled style lean too on one end (3X3).

Although not new to chickens, it has been some years and my Mother was always the one who mainly took care of them.

Thanks again for your responses.
 
The best method I have found to integrate new younger birds to an established flock is to keep the younger birds in or next to the coop inside a large dog crate for at least two weeks. I have had very good success with adding new birds to the flock with next to no bullying or aggressiveness from the existing birds.

You may need to wrap the crate in chicken wire to prevent pecking. Take the bottom tray and use it as a cover on top of the crate. After the two or so weeks have past you can start letting the younger birds mingle with the older birds for a few hours. Just be sure to supervise them to watch for bullying or anything like that. Some minor pecking and chasing is to be expected on the first time out. Step in only if an older bird is being overly aggressive or not backing off after a few seconds. Each day you let them mingle increase the time by an hour or so and after another week of supervised mingling you should be able to allow them to have full run and can remove the crate.

If you have the materials to do so, make a drop in door for the crate with a pass-through that's just big enough for the younger birds so they can zip in if they feel threatened. It may take showing them the pass-through a few times before they get it down.

I
 

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