Hi...

[hholzschu]

So I broke down and bought three baby chicks yesterday from a local feed store. All the chicks seem to be doing well so far. I'm not too sure how my older girls will handle the new ones once they are old enough to go out to the coop. Any suggestions on how to do introductions?

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas and

! Great to have you here. The intros shouldn't be made until the new ones are fully feathered (4-6 weeks). Then, allow them to have proximity and visual contact but not actual physical contact. Do this for a couple days do they get used to each other. Then when it's integration time I like to put the new ones in the coop at dark so the established birds don't pick on them. Then at first light, open the coop so the newbies aren't trapped with the older ones! Monitor how everyone gets along. Be prepared for the little ones to be pecked at - that's the Law of the Pecking Order. But if one is singled out, you may have to isolate it and re-introduce in a couple days. Good luck to you! BTW - there are a lot of good threads on BYC about this - just type 'introducing new chickens' into the BYC search bar.

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us!

 

[roostersandhens]

Hi welcome to BYC!

To introduce them to the others first of all put the new ones in at night. If you want you could put a small run outside the older chickens coop for an hour a day once they are older.
Good Luck!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Welcome to BYC!!

Glad you joined us!!

 

[thasista]

Hi from Kentucky!

 

[Kevin565]

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

It often works better if you wait until the young birds are close in size to the older ones before combining them.

 

[liz9910]

 

[weimarmama]

&

from Alabama. Glad you joined us.