How much of an age difference can I do?

[clogan98]

I have (5) 5 week old chicks. My EE turned out to be a boy so he has to go (city code). I would like to replace him with another but was wondering how much older can I get? It's hard to find young'uns around here!

 

[terryg]

It's a fact of life for keepers of small backyard flocks that we have losses and want to bring in replacements. It's always a risk, as the new bird(s) will have been exposed to different pathogens, and even if 100% healthy looking can bring in disease. Still, we do it! Also, it's very hard to introduce just one chick or hen into an established flock. It's much easier to bring in several or merge two larger flocks. Still, it's possible. Since your chicks are so young, you should do it now, rather than wait when it will get harder. Or, you if you can only get mature birds, wait until your chicks are fully feathered out. More here:
http://hencam.com/faq/introducing-new-hens/

 

[clogan98]

I added a new one about two weeks ago and everything went fine which is also why I want to do it now instead of later. I'm just wondering how much older I can get without causing a big issue.