Chick introductions... need some advice/reassurance

[upmycreek]

Hello,

I'm a newb... I have 2 bantam silkie chicks in an incubator that are a week apart from 11 easter egger and bantam maran chicks under 2 broodie silkies. Question is can I add these chicks two this group or will they be too young to keep up. I know the silkies will accept them because I already showed them to one of it and it was chirping at it like it does to the chicks inside its coop. I know to do the intro at night, but I am so worried that they are going to get trampled.

One of the two was hatched a little too soon and was really sick so I poly-vi-soled and save-a-chicked it and is doing great now at day 2 and a half. The other was born this morning and is moving right along. So questions are can I add 1 to 3 day old chicks to a group that is 7 to 8 days old?

I also have 2 more (last ones) that are supposed to hatch Monday at the latest. Will those be too young to add to chicks that are between 11-12 days old?

Also the sick one is really attached to my voice and I guess my hands, lol. Will it be accepting of the 2 silkie moms? I'm going to leave the heat lamps on at night, but I'd be so devastated to see a trampled chick in the morning.

Anyone have experience with these types of introductions?

Thank you as always!

 

[upmycreek]

No one has any suggestions or experience here?

 

[upmycreek]

Do I stink?

 

[Avianman]

I can tell you that I have done this with great success, but once they reach about 14 days, accepting new chicks gets difficult...meaning if they are at day ten and you introduce day 3 chicks you are okay, but if they are day 15 and you introduce day 8 chicks they may not accept them. Even though they are a week apart in both examples, something happens to their attitude!

You can probably do it fine, just don't hesitate too long!

 

[upmycreek]

OK, Great and thanks so much for your reply! I will try tomorrow night with the first two and fingers crossed they will accept them.

 

[Avianman]

I should also add that a trick I learned with parrots is to introduce the potentially more aggressive birds into the territory of the passive bird. I other words, don't put the young birds into the cage/brooder of the older birds, but in neutral territory or put the older birds in the younger bird's cage/brooder

They will not be as aggressive if they do not feel they are on their "home turf"

 

[upmycreek]

So far everything is working out for the little guys. I snuck them in under the moms last night without a problem and could hear them talking to them and the moms purred back so that was a good sign, I think. This morning I woke them up, as I normally do, and the other chicks went crazy and the two little silkies sizzle hatchlings just stood on the edges watching the commotion looking a little overwhelmed. Then after about 10 minutes they started to interact with everyone and the moms would ever once in a while walk over to them and very gentle peck them to join the group. When they started walking around with everyone I waited a few more minutes and opened the door to the coop out into the additional brooder space and they started scratching and eating with everyone else. I'm writing my thesis so I am going to make sure to take frequent breaks to check on them Thanks so much again. I definitely think it may not be a good idea to add the last two hatchlings that are still cooking in the incubator to the group unless they hatch tonight because the sizzles are way smaller than the other easter egger chicks and I am concerned that they will get picked on. Going to have to explain that to the live-in that we'll be adding two chickens to our 4 dogs in a 900 square foot house situation. I hear they make diapers