How do I introduce 2 month old chicks to the older chickens?

[Auntiejessi3]

In that case I’ll have to wait until 3-4 months right?

You don't need to wait, you just need to give it time with them being able to see each other without being able to touch each other. I integrated 6 week old chicks into my flock(see link in post #6) and within 2 weeks everyone was good. They are now 14 weeks old and graze, roost, and dust bath with my older ladies. @U_Stormcrow also gave you some great reads on how to accomplish this.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Same idea as everyone else who does it successfully - "see and be seen, with a partition between". I hatch every 3 weeks (chickens) or 4 weeks (ducks) [plus a day or two to clean everything out and collect enough eggs to restart]. So I'm integrating new hatchlings into my adult flock every single month.

When born, they move to the brooder box - which is just that, a big plastic tote. As soon as they are too big for that, they either move to the back of my shed and a PVC temporary run, or to the grow out pen and run inside/outside my barn. Its there that they begin the see/be seen process in earnest, and they begin between 3-4 weeks. By six weeks, I want to have them free ranging with my adult flock - and with the exception of a single duckling last year, I've been successful at that.

Overnight, I have two adult runs - one of which has some netting around the bottom to keep the "littles" in. That's where the most recently integrated, and the integration before that, plus the youngest ducks sleeps (12-25 birds) - as well as any injured fowl. Everyone else is in the big pen with the goats (30+ birds). But they all free range together all day - and frankly, the biggest adult birds can (and sometimes do) hop onto the gate to jump out of the big run, then do it again to hop into the little run.


If I had more adult hens to occupy my drake, I wouldn't need two runs at all - but right now he tries to jump adolescents, he's so randy. Its a problem.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My broody hens raise their chicks with the flock from hatch. I've had a couple of different broody hens wean their chicks at three weeks of age, totally leave them on their own to make their way with the flock. Some wait longer to wean them like yours did but a lot don't wait two months. My brooder is in the coop, I put chicks in there straight from the incubator so they essentially grow up with the flock. At five weeks old I typically open the brooder door and walk away. That's how hard my integration is.

To me size doesn't mean anything but other things do. One is the chicks being raised with the flock. You are not in that situation as yours are already two months old, but they are able to free range together without problems if I read your post correctly. You housed them side by side long enough for that to work out. I have a large (8' x 12') coop plus a couple of shelters some can sleep in so they don't get too crowded in the coop. To me that's one thing, don't crowd the coop too much. I no longer free range after a couple of dog attacks but I have over 3,000 square feet for them and weather that they can all be outside practically all day every day. Mine have room. I typically have 5 different broods a year so all kinds of mixed ages a few weeks or months apart.

Yours can free range with the others a few hours each day without any issues. That helps put you in a good place. But I don't know how big your coop is or the size of your run. I don't know how much room they have when they are not free ranging. That worries me a bit. How crowded is the coop and run when they are not free ranging?

Sometimes to help with main coop crowding I keep some in a shelter I call my Grow-Out Coop. They typically move into that at 5 weeks and stay in the coop and run until they are 8 weeks, then I let them out to roam with the adults and others in that 3,000 square feet. They are exposed to the others as their run is next to where the others are. The reason I leave them in there for those 3 weeks is to make sure they will return there to sleep at night instead of going to the main coop. So they roam with the adults during the day but sleep separately at night.

Usually after they have roamed together for a month and they are 12 weeks old room has freed up in the main coop so I move the pullets back to sleep in the main coop. Sometimes cockerels too if I have room. I lock them in the main coop after it is too dark for the others to attack them. Then I'm down there at daylight when they are first waking up to see how it is going. I do that until I'm comfortable that they can get along locked in that coop. That's usually two mornings then I'm comfortable sleeping in a bit. Sometimes I have to put them in the main coop every night for a while before they get the message but often they get the message pretty quickly and put themselves to bed in the main coop.

In your circumstances I'd probably let the chicks merge with the others in that run before you let them out to free range together like they are now. Do it when you can observe. Once you are comfortable they can handle that you can try moving them into the man coop to sleep.

Good luck. I don't think you are in a bad spot at all but just be a little patient and take it slow.

 

[Ascholten]

It depends on the breed. Some get big fast, others take a while. Let them see each other, but thru a fence or via free ranging and see how they behave.
Honestly there is no way to tell what will happen w/o some interaction. I have 3 who really are just ONE BIG BIRD.. they literally stick together doing everything, and 1 is 4 months older than the rest. Then I have the bitch who is 2 years older than all of them. Then again us old farts DO have the god given RIGHT to be cranky towards unruly kids right??

If they nit pick, just leave it be, but if they are attacking the new one, trying to tear feathers out and stuff like that, then yep, you are going to have to keep them separated until the smaller one is pretty much the same size to at least have a chance of fighting back. Will she? Hard to say, I got one chicken right now who's 'Chicken of the County'

Aaron

 

[ReelFaster]

Great info on this thread! I created similar threads and in the same boat. Today my 2 pullets I am trying to introduce to my older 3 hens are 9 weeks tomorrow. I've started to let them free range together two nights ago. There was some pecking involved for sure as there was food around (cracked corn). The two little ones learned REAL quick, soon as my buff orpington (who is really becoming a big ole bully) is near they run the other way, give her plenty of space. My other two don't seem to be as aggressive at least so far. Tomorrow will mark 2 weeks they've been living in a seperate run next to the main run where they can see and hear each other. I often sprinkle cracked corn along the gate so they get use to seeing and eating together.

However I am still a bit leery on introducing them this weekend. I think they are still a bit too small and might wait another few weeks. Problem is the adjacent run isn't as secure as the main run and coop so I am taking a risk each night they sleep outside in that run.

 

[ReelFaster]

One thing I have also done i the past is I have one real bitch, I have actually put HER in a separate cage for a week or more, while the new one(s) and the nicer existing flock got together, worked out their 'isues' and finally decided to play nice. Then finally let the old buzzard back out and then she's kind of a new one, and was picking on the new one way less then. She still set her dominance but this way, the new one is only getting ragged on by one of them, instead of the whole flock beating up on her.

Aaron

Great info here, thank you! I suspect I am going to have a bully on my hands but not %100 sure yet. This is what I'd like to try should it happen!

 

[Ben a 620]

You don't need to wait, you just need to give it time with them being able to see each other without being able to touch each other. I integrated 6 week old chicks into my flock(see link in post #6) and within 2 weeks everyone was good. They are now 14 weeks old and graze, roost, and dust bath with my older ladies. @U_Stormcrow also gave you some great reads on how to accomplish this.

Oh that sounds great because since 2 weeks old I’ve had them in a cage inside of the coop.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Great info here, thank you! I suspect I am going to have a bully on my hands but not %100 sure yet. This is what I'd like to try should it happen!

I had a crazy neurotic hen when she first met the littlesbut she chilled out, nothing serious just a little chasing, but the littles are way faster. I was a hot mess the first day I cracked the door to the littles safe house but every day it got easier and the bigs got less and less interested.
https://youtube.com/shorts/cFqb7mGcIew?feature=share

 

[Yardmom]

Chicks can be introduced at any age as long as they have heat or are old enough to go with out it. What is needed is space and hiding places (not traps unless there is no way for the larger birds to get in). Multiple feeding stations and waters. They are fast learners of who the bullies are and will stay out of their way. I find the younger they are the easier it is. The older they are the more of a "threat" they are to the grown hens.

 

[ReelFaster]

I had a crazy neurotic hen when she first met the littlesbut she chilled out, nothing serious just a little chasing, but the littles are way faster. I was a hot mess the first day I cracked the door to the littles safe house but every day it got easier and the bigs got less and less interested.
https://youtube.com/shorts/cFqb7mGcIew?feature=share

Great info I truly hope it goes well!!