can you combine chicks?

[chicky78]

I have 4 - 5 1/2 week old chicks and 1- 4 1/2 week old. I am really wanting to get some more (I know, I'm becoming addicted already!). But would it be alright to combine these chicks with 2 to 3 week old chicks? Or would that be a problem? I know combining older chickens with chicks can be a bit of an issue...but what about young chicks with older chicks?

 

[Gonzo]

I would not. They probally arn't close in size. You'll run the risk of the smaller ones being picked on, trampled, or possibly starved out.

 

[staceyl]

I added some brand new ones (only 1-2 days old) to some 3 week olds and it went fine.
The way I did it was to kick the bigger girls out while I gave the little ones a bit of time to get used to the brooder - then I added the older girls one at a time starting with the bottom of the pecking order and working up. I watched them closely for several hours and there was some pecking, but nothing serious. The little ones are definitely the bottom of the pecking order, but they are all acting like one flock now.
I wan't worried about starving out, because its a very small group (only 5 total) so they can all get around the feeder at the same time. I think the other thing that made it work is that they've always had a lot of space.

Stacey