Different Aged Chicks

[lydiaholmes]

I'm slightly worried.
I got two 1 week old barnevelder chicks recently. They're perfectly healthy and doing fine together in the brooder. My city allows a max of four hens per property, and I also want to get two ameraucana chicks in addition to the barnevelders. My problem is that the farm and garden center I get chicks from will get more ameraucanas on the 28th, which is in two weeks...I would be raising two 3 week old chicks with two 1 week old chicks. I'm really unsure about how that will work...I'm afraid the older chicks will be aggressive to the new ones. What should I do? Should I just find another source for ameraucana chicks that will have them sooner?

 

[redsoxs]

Yeah, older chicks can be pretty ruthless to the newcomers. Here's link that might assist you: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-see-but-don-t-touch-method
I would recommend using the method in the link for a few days and then let them mingle and see how it goes. Good luck!

 

[Poultry parent]

They bigger ones will peck the little ones on the head a little, that's just to tell the little ones that they're the boss.

 

[lydiaholmes]

Introducing 1 week olds who know each other and have established the brooder as home to other new 1 week olds won't be a problem, will it?

 

[debid]

I've tossed littles together with up to 3 weeks of difference and no problems other than needing to provide the smallest with a booster at the water nipple. Now, a three weeker is pretty boisterous so I don't think you'd want to do this in a small container brooder but out in the coop, not a biggie at all.