So I have 6 hens that I bought in the spring and they are laying now....I have 6 chicks that are 5 weeks old....Everyday I take the chicks outside and leave them run around in a fenced in area that keeps them close to my coop but segregated from the older hens....The hens really don't show much interest in the chicks but I know that is likely to change when I let the new chickens run in the coop with the older ones....When would be a safe time to let them in together?
Alot depends on how much space you have, if the little ones can hide from the older hens, and if you have two feeders and waterers. Wait until you have a 'nothing planned day' and then let them be all together while you can sit out for a few hours reading a book and keeping an eye on them.
I've been trying to integrate my 4 week olds with the 4 month olds and it isn't going so well. I've had the little ones in a cage in the run with the big girls, and the older ones didn't show much interest. Then last night when I let them run around in the run all together the oldest (highest on the pecking order) chased the little ones pecking at them. They squeeked a lot and I felt bad for them so I intervened. I guess it's going to take longer than I thought to get them used to each other.
When chicks are hatched naturally, they have a mother to defend them. When you hatch eggs yourself, generally you want to wait until the chicks are nearly as large as the hens so they won't get hurt.