I have some successive hatches going on, a few days apart from each other. Can I put the newer ones in, or will the bigger ones pick on them? I have not done hatching for myself before, always got chicks from a hatchery all at the same time. Thanks.
I actually put 1 1/2 week olds with 3 day olds. I put both sets in a different brooder box than what they were used to. I think it helped having a complete change of scenery and they all got along great! Hope this helps!
I have some together that are closer to 3 weeks apart, as long as the older ones allow the new ones to eat/drink, and are not picking on them everything will be fine. Just watch them for a little while.
I too have put in younger chicks with older. I set two eggs two weeks after my last batch because I could not see throwing them out. Only one hatched and I put it in with the ones that were 2+ weeks older. I watched them closely for a day or two and they are doing fine now.
at the moment i have all different breeds (cochins, silkies, a white rock, EE's, and mystery chicks) from 1 - 3.5 weeks old together, i've found over the past 3 years, when your introducing new ones in, as long as there is more than one, they seem to have no problem, especially if its new environment and the older/bigger ones don't start thinking 'oh this is mine, what are you doing here?' kind of thing. My older chicks right now, seem very protective of the smaller little bannies.
We discovered last weekend that our 2-month-old chicks (pullets now?) aren't nearly as interested in the 2-week-olds as the year-olds are in hurting the 2-month olds. (got that?) So, we're going to try to integrate the youngest with the tweens rather than put the tweens in with the adults.
