Chicks added to brooder

[OurFurryFriends]

The place that I want to get baby chicks from is not going to have one of the breeds I want to get. What's the ideal way to bring in babies from different sources and different ages. Is a couple of days ok, or is a week better to make sure there's nothing wrong with the first batch?

 

[sumi]

A few days' difference in age would not matter when putting them together in the brooder, so I would order them a few days apart, or get them at the same time and brood them separately for a few days to make sure both groups are healthy and well.

 

[azygous]

During the first three weeks after hatching, chicks are pretty undiscriminating about new additions as long as they are near that general size and age.

Don't be alarmed when they greet the newcomer with a peck on the head. It's a "chick thing" and doesn't mean they're going to beat up on the little guy.