Can I introduce week old chicks to 9 werk old chicks?

[ashl768]

I unexpectedly got offered 13 new chicks from a daycare that hatched them for their classroom to observe, I have 8- 9 week old chicks currently, I want to know if I can put them in the same brooder in a couple weeks? Right now the temperature wont allow me to add them right now, but in a couple weeks, I think they will be able to join thetemperature wise...

All suggestions appreciated! Any suggestions on how to do it, etc would be great!

 

[Fred's Hens]

No.

You'd have to brood them separately. The older birds would only see the chicks as intruders and it would tend to be very brutal. At least that is our experience.

If you have a grow out pen for the older birds, they could move, maybe? They certainly don't need a brooder, per se, anymore.

 

[ashl768]

Its below 30 degrees here with twelve inches of snow on the ground, so they are still in our garage, I have read others mix their youngins with their chicks once a few weeks old....

 

[Fred's Hens]

In the 20's here, 16" of snow and my 7 week old birds are out in the barn. No heat.

Again, just saying. The older birds would likely devastate those small birds. Do what you think is best.

 

[Sweetly Silkies]

nope week old chicks will most likely get killed or picked on by 9 wk old. the 9 wk olds are probably ready to go into the main coop by now though.

 

[cafarmgirl]

So is the daycare hatch batch a week or less old? If so, I wouldn't do it, the age difference is to much. I have added chicks to the brooder within a week or so of each other but not any more then that.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do as you wish. They are yours and no one can give you any guarantees with living animals. I will mention a couple of years ago a 1 week old chick being raised by a broody got through a fence into a grow-out coop and run full of 8 week old chicks. The broody could not get through the fence to protect her chick. The 8 week olds killed it dead.

Last Fall I had a bunch of 5-1/2 week olds in the coop with that same grow-out pen. That coop had good draft protection but no heat. The over-night temperature dropped to the mid 20’s Fahrenheit. Those chicks were fine.

These were regular chickens, not Silkies or anything else weird like that. They were used to temperatures in the mid 40’s so they were a bit acclimated. 8-9 week olds should be feathered out pretty well compared to 5-1/2 week olds. I don’t know your set-up or what is available to you, but you might have more flexibility in dealing with your situation than you think.

 

[Mtn Margie]

It has been my experience that when chicks reach about 3.5 weeks old, they get their flock intruder instinct. So I would brood them separately and introduce them to each other as you would older hens to each other.

 

[nothingbutbirds]

I usaully add my chicks in with the older chicks.I havent had any get killed.my d'uccles are very cocky with each other but my silkies are the only chickens that bother the younger ones.my silkies are very mean.

 

[ChickAudie]

Thanks for starting this thread, glad I came across it. I have six 2 or 3 week old chicks, and will be getting two 3 day old chicks tomorrow. I have the older babies in an extra large indoor dog kennel and I was just going to set up the new babies in a seperate box inside the kennel with a seperate food/water dishes so I didn't have to have brooders all over the house. I am thinking they will be ok, what do you guys think?