help: bonding with chicks

[Henriettamom919]

That's totally a judgement call on your part. Slower integration seems to work better overall but at the age your babies are at its up to you. From what I've read from people on this site far wiser than me, a nice slow and from a distance introduction seems to result in the lowest possible drama. Your babies are still young and you have some time but for me I stared incorporating our chicks into the daytime routine at about 2/3 weeks old by bringing them outside for a bit while my flock did their dust bath/grass grazing. With each visit they interact a little and the older girls are less...aggressive? Assertive? They would get really hyper and squawk it up at first but now they come over and graze near the littles.

 

[feathermaid]

should i not let the chicks be able to see the chickens for right now?

I think seeing each other is fine, but it's a personal decision... everyone has their own method of integration. I personally like to begin early as possible.

At 1-2 weeks I take chicks for short visits outside to "hang out" with my older birds. I'm going through my 2nd integration and older hens were never interested in chicks, actually ran away if babies came too close! I also have a brooder in the coop which allows everyone to see and get used to each other all day long. At about 3 weeks I replace the divider to one that littles can fit through but big ones can't... this offers a safe zone while integrating. I also have lots of additional perches in the run and multiple food and water stations. The chicks also have their own food/water in their safe zone.


At 5 weeks currently, I consider my chicks fully integrated. They use the adult feeders and just started using the main roosts. They respect the pecking order and if one of the older birds gives them a certain "look" they run away, which is what they're supposed to do. Older birds have never given chase, but there are plenty of hiding spots or line-of-sight obstacles. I've never seen any actual pecking at the babies, only amongst the bigger ones. There are also times when chicks and hens peacefully scratch together or sit next to each other on a perch. I truly believe that when you introduce smaller chicks, the less of a threat they are to the big ones, just merely an annoyance. I really don't think my older birds hardly even noticed the little ones becoming part of the flock.

These articles helped me:
Integrating at 4 weeks old
Coop Brooder and Integration
Start Raising Your Chicks Outdoors
You Certainly Can Brood Chicks Outdoors