Combining young and younger...

[nbenevento]

I couldn't find much on this topic so I thought I would post my results. I combined two day old chicks with three week old chicks in the same brooder in my house. The 2 day old chicks seem to take to the older ones as their mothers and it seems to have worked out pretty well. The older birds picked at the young ones beaks a couple times but that didn't last. Everyone seems to be very happy! I just thought I would post this in case anyone wondered "what if..."

 

[gamebirdsonly]

I have done same thing not as young. I have mixed 1 to 2 week olds with 2 to 3 day olds and 6 week olds with older birds.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Good post. I also mixed 2 week old and 3 day old chicks last year and everything went well. I suppose like anything else it depends on the birds. I never shared because everyone says don't mix them and I thought I would get yelled at

 

[nbenevento]

Good post. I also mixed 2 week old and 3 day old chicks last year and everything went well. I suppose like anything else it depends on the birds. I never shared because everyone says don't mix them and I thought I would get yelled at

I think that may be why I couldn't find much on here about doing it. No one wants to get yelled at! But nonetheless...it worked!

 

[lazy gardener]

I think that may be why I couldn't find much on here about doing it. No one wants to get yelled at! But nonetheless...it worked!

Take the yelling with a huge grain of salt. The more you read, the more you realize that a lot of the fact posted on this site is often opinions passed from one person to an other. If any one wants to yell at me... now would be the time!!! I've also mixed chicks with good results. My current dilemma involves having moved said chicks (ages 9 and 7.5 weeks) out into their tractor in the front yard with temps going down as low as 27 degrees, and they're too stubborn to go into their closed in end where they can stay up off the ground and warm. Tonight, they're camping out on the ground. I know that if I tried to get them into the warm end, they'd come out as fast as I could stuff them in!

 

[ridinglizzard]

I put my 6 week old orphingtons with my adult silkies, cochins, wyandottes, bunny, pigeons, and duck, and they all seem to get along just fine.

 

[jann35]

Do you think 4 week olds would be safe with 2 9 week hens?

 

[nbenevento]

Do you think 4 week olds would be safe with 2 9 week hens?

I would say to try it and just watch. You should know instantly if there is going to be a problem. From what I understand, they start the pecking order thing at 7 weeks, so you might have an issue. Like I said though, put them together and just stand there and see what happens.

 

[debid]

I would say to try it and just watch.  You should know instantly if there is going to be a problem.  From what I understand, they start the pecking order thing at 7 weeks, so you might have an issue.  Like I said though, put them together and just stand there and see what happens. 

IME, they start pecking order shenanigans much younger than that. It might not be worked out and clear what the order is until they're ~7 weeks but the behaviors are practiced from a week old or so.

And I've mixed ages in the brooder with a three-week span so I know it can work but I still think you should always be prepared to intervene as needed if you have an established chick flock and are adding others. Making sure you're providing enough space and even giving hiding places can help.

 

[Ariekannairb]

I put some full grown hens into my 4 week old flock and then some 3 weekers in a week later. They peck a bit but nothing scary and 2 weeks in all seems to be fine. We keep an eye on them but the bigger hens just ignore the smaller ones for the most part.