Couple of quick questions about Introducing chicks & a possible rooster

[sg1109]

Hello, all this is my first post here and looking for a little advice.

My family has had a small flock of chickens in our back yard for about two years now. Recently two died from a predator and we decided to add on to our flock and get baby chicks. We are adding six chicks to our flock, bringing our total to 10 chickens. We also got ten chicks that we are raising and giving to my aunt as her first flock. This is our first time raising chicks, unfortunately, one did pass away after the first day (we think it ate something and had an impacted crop), but other than that all are seven weeks old and healthy. Theres a lot of information out there and I just wanted to confirm some questions I have before introducing the new chicks to the old.
1. I know they need to be introduced slowly and kept separate from the adult chickens for a while, but when is a good age to fully introduce them?
2. Do the chicks need to be kept separate until they begin to lay? I was reading that they should remain on chick starter until they are laying, so should they be kept separated because they can't eat lay food, and if so does that mean they need their own coop?
3. similarly, should they be introduced for a little and then brought back into their brooder at night?
4. Ive attached an image of one of the chicks I believe is a rooster. When we bought her they s(he) was a Rhode Island blue, but her comb is significantly bigger than the other chicks, she is starting to turn redder than the other Rhode island blues we got which all look pretty similar, and I think I see where s(he) might grow spurs. I haven't really noticed any behavioral differences or heard her making any different noises, at what age can I be sure s(he)s a rooster and when do they begin to make noise?
5. We can't have roosters (so I know nothing about raising them) in our town but where my aunt lives you can and she has few neighbors. There are also a lot more predators where she lives and I know one advantage to having a rooster is that they will alert the hens to predators? are there any reasons she should keep the rooster?
thank you for any answers!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

First item...yes, that is a rooster. Is there any reason to keep a rooster? Yes, if you want to hatch chicks. Do roosters provide protection for the flock? Sometimes. Other times they are simply an annoyance to flock and household. Rocks can be more aggressive as roosters (some although are really sweet). Since this is your aunt's first flock, and if she has any small children, I'd simply re-home the rooster.

Now to your questions:
When is the best time to introduce the chicks to the flock? Depends on a lot of things. Flock temperament. Flock numbers. Chick temperament. Enclosure set up.

7 weeks is a little young as they will be hazed by the older birds simply by size difference. So if you don't have room for the babes to hide, and a flock that has never had babes before, then it would be better to wait until about 10 to 12 weeks when they are more teen size. Be aware that new pullets/teens are still hazed a lot by the flock and generally run like crazy, but you are introducing them in mass which helps as they will huddle together. If you see any one of your older hens being a jerk, remove her to time out cage/pen until she settles down.

The best way to introduce teen birds to an established flock is yard time. Coop them up differently during the day. Have a common fence where they can see each other for about a week. Then, let them into the same forage yard together, with some hideaway places for the teens so they can run away from any direct hazing. Generally after about a day or so, they all forage pretty peacefully and then go back to their individual coops. In a few more days, you will begin to see intermixing of the flocks in the coops. Then you can decide which coop you want to use, or use both.

The other way is to let them have common fence exposure while penned for about a week, then place the younger teens on the roost at night with the older birds. That is a little riskier as the teens still are not full size. This method works better with full size birds. In the morning light, they tend to mix, but smaller birds also tend to be hazed.

As to feed. You have commercial layers, so they will need to begin to build calcium reserves a bit earlier than the moment they start to lay. However, they are not the hybrid layers like the sexlinks. I recommend that you keep them on chick start until about 14 to 16 weeks as rocks come into lay by 20 weeks.

If you want to make life easy and intermix the flocks once they've been introduced safely, you can put everyone on the chick start and set out oyster shell for the older hens. Then switch to layer at 14 to 16 weeks for the pullets.

My experiences.
Lofmc

 

[DuckGirl77]

@aart has a good method for introducing chicks at a young age. I think there's an article I'll link if I find it.
Easiest introductions take place if they've seen each other for a while, so the more they can see the older flock the better. Raising them side by side is good.

edited to add: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors.68067/

 

[aart]

looking for a little advice.

You've gotten some good advice already.
I'll just add.....7 weeks is a bit late for the early integration I use.
If you had gone that route you'd about be done by now.

Knowing the size and layout of your coop and run would help garner more specific suggestions. Dimensions and pics are always helpful...and enjoyed.
Do you free range at all?

Here's some thoughts about.....
Integration Basics:

It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/


Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @sg1109
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[sg1109]

Thank you all for the speedy responses. I showed a picture to the owner of the store I bought the chicks from and he said he was definitely a rooster and they can thankfully, find a home for him. I am in Newton MA its been pretty nice recently but next week it'll be going down into the 30's at night so we were going to wait until the week after when it'll be back in the fifties at night to start to bring them out longer. Unfortunately, we cannot free-range here and I don't have any pictures of our coop atm. we have a raised coop that is probably a good 6'x4' with an attached chicken wire inner run that probably brings the total to 6'x10' and then a larger 12' x 20' green wire fence with poultry netting on top.

 

[sg1109]

Also, does anyone know if hens can have spots similar to spurs? I am now a little paranoid having that one rooster. None of the other chicks have nearly the same level of comb development but I have noticed a few have spots above their hind claw, what looks like the beginning of waddle growth, and kinda pointy tail feathers. These seem to mostly be astrolorps and the RIB's which I think are an astrolorp crossbreed, does anyone know if this is just normal astrolorp development. Here is one of the birds in question, you cant really tell in the picture but her tail feathers are pretty pointy.

 

[aart]

Also, does anyone know if hens can have spots similar to spurs? I am now a little paranoid having that one rooster. None of the other chicks have nearly the same level of comb development but I have noticed a few have spots above their hind claw, what looks like the beginning of waddle growth, and kinda pointy tail feathers. These seem to mostly be astrolorps and the RIB's which I think are an astrolorp crossbreed, does anyone know if this is just normal astrolorp development. Here is one of the birds in question, you cant really tell in the picture but her tail feathers are pretty pointy.

That's a pretty red comb and wattles for a 7week old pullet...I'd say another male.
Gender specific feathering at hackle, saddle, and tail don't show up until ~14-16 weeks.
All chickens have spur buds.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Also, does anyone know if hens can have spots similar to spurs? I am now a little paranoid having that one rooster. None of the other chicks have nearly the same level of comb development but I have noticed a few have spots above their hind claw, what looks like the beginning of waddle growth, and kinda pointy tail feathers. These seem to mostly be astrolorps and the RIB's which I think are an astrolorp crossbreed, does anyone know if this is just normal astrolorp development. Here is one of the birds in question, you cant really tell in the picture but her tail feathers are pretty pointy.

All chickens develop spur buds but I believe that is a cockerel.

 

[sg1109]

This is another one that I'm quite concerned about mainly because I've grown quite attached to her, every time I put my arm in the brooder she'll run right up and hop on. Her comb is a little more developed and is still pretty yellow (she is the same breed as the original rooster and they look very different). Her feet are pretty substantial and her feather look kinda long and pointy but if you look closely the tips have very thin/light feathers that look rounded.