Gameplan time.... Need a bit of guidance and...you guys sure do educate! :-)

[honeynajar]

I have 3 Red Sex Links and 3 White leghorns that are 4 weeks old still in the nursery. My coop is almost ready and my sister is bringing 3 full grown layers (Rhode Island Reds) to get my egg production started right away. What is the best way to introduce the babies with the older gals to avoid confrontation or territorial dominance?

Also, I have 15 meat chicks coming next week, once they are ready to be outside can I have them all together in the same coop/run? The coop and run will be big enough for the entire crew.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Pele]

The unfortunate answer is that you can't do introductions without territory disputes and/or pecking. Only chickens brooded together blend easily. I would suggest that you set them side by side in seperate runs so they can see each other through wire, but the big chickens cant reach your little ones.

It'll reduce the violence, but by no means negate it. Make sure your babies have a place to hide and get away from the big chickens. Eventually they'll tolerate each other when they're closer in size.