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TwoCrows said:
Wait until the chicks are a couple months old before integration, let them grow up enough to defend themselves.
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I plan on trying when a minimum of 12 wks. Mama is still very attentive and hopefully stays that way for a bit longer. They do have their own coop and run within the big run. With winter coming I'm hoping to house all together in the big run before it's too cold. Their coop is small but it does have a heater.
 
Nana K said:
I plan on trying when a minimum of 12 wks. Mama is still very attentive and hopefully stays that way for a bit longer. They do have their own coop and run within the big run. With winter coming I'm hoping to house all together in the big run before it's too cold. Their coop is small but it does have a heater.
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Sounds like you got this! 😊
 
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Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
Nana K said:
She seems interested in the chicks and sits by the fence all day long. Hopefully she will accept them.
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I have on 3 separate occasions started integration with "motherless" chicks into a flock of adult birds starting as early as 4 weeks old.

Provided you have at least 15 sq ft of space per bird in any daytime enclosed area and 4 sq ft of space and 1 linear foot of roost per bird in the coop, the (very zippy and fast) youngsters have little trouble avoiding the older birds. I also make sure I put feed EVERYWHERE. Not just in the feeders. I have flat stones and stumps all around in the run that I sprinkle food on. They play musical food stations.

You would also need lots of perching locations, dry organic matter for the birds to scratch around in and things to hide behind to get out of the line of sight of dominant birds.
 
I've never had a problem with integration. My flock is pretty laid back, but still, I've also let mamas raise their babies with the flock. Even the bantams have done so. When I've raised chicks myself, I've done so inside the run. By 4 weeks mine have always been mixed in with the big flock.
Like @DobieLover advises, I have plenty of room and plenty of roost space. I also keep plenty of waterers and feeders and whenever I'm introducing newbies, I make sure to add extras.
 

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