Can I mix month old chicks and year old chickens?

[papilio_mn]

My wife and I raised 4 pullets last year for the first time. I have a shed that I converted into a coop and have a small yard fenced off around it, but generally keep it open and the chickens run free. I enjoyed it so much that this year I bought 15 more straight run chicks and have them in a stock tank inside the shed. The are a little over a month old and getting kind of big for the tank. Can I let them out and pen them up with my 4 from last year? Or what is the best way to introduce them?

 

[Fred's Hens]

No

That is a mis-match that will end very badly for the little ones.

 

[FireRooster]

This is a very good question that I would like to know more on as well. I also need to introduce some youngsters as well soon to a flock of 5 full grown. How are you supposed to do this, because I cant' keep them in there brooder forever. lol, they are growing fast.

 

[Woods_Woman]

If you do a search on Introducing in the search area there is info that might be able to help you.

 

[blefky]

They will need to be kept separate but where they can see each other, ie., through a fence or partition, for a good amount of time. Either a separate dwelling or a partitioned off area in the main coop. When they are approximately the same size as your older girls, you can begin to let them interact - maybe letting them free range at the same time for a while. Chickens are creatures of habit, and don't easily accept new members. The more time you can take to allow them to get to know each other, the less likely that there will be serious issues. I have 19 one and two month old chicks and I was just outside today building a temporary run adjacent to the big run. I have an extra, smaller coop that I will use during this time. Good luck!

 

[Domestic_goddess]

Fred's Hens :

No

That is a mis-match that will end very badly for the little ones.

I agree...I have mixed flocks and I always wait for several months, 4 or 5 before I even consider mixing. They need to be old enough to get away and defend themselves. There will always be a pecking order and they will be at the bottom, it's hard to watch...but if you want them to be together, it has to be that way. Good luck, please wait a while!​

 

[FireRooster]

Wow all this is good info, but not good at the same time. I had heard of introducing them at night in the coop, I was told they wouldn't even notice the difference that way. Any truth to this?

 

[Domestic_goddess]

Quote:
I have heard this, don't know if it works. But with chicks as young as these...I would NOT try it! His best thing to do is make a bigger pen for them, where they can mingle together but in seperate pens.

 

[papilio_mn]

Thanks for the info...that gives me a bit more work to do. I also have a couple ducklings. Will the older chickens give them any grief?

 

[AKsmama]

Quote:
No. Particularly when the newcomers are much, much smaller than the older ones. Maybe you heard that about slipping day old chicks under a broody hen, but the broody hen is there to protect the chicks. Month olds don't have anyone but themselves, and they are no match for adults. The chicken world is brutal. It's just the way it is. You can't change the way they have evolved over the years, so you have to work within their "rules". Month olds vs. adults= dead month olds.