chicks with hens

[ghostwolf211]

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?

 

[Alaskan]

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.

 

[stlcards]

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.

 

[Bullitt]

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?

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.