How to acclimate a smaller chick to the flock?

[Portalguy]

Hi,

Should have wrote about this earlier, but anyway I have one chick that hatched out of a batch of my neighbour's fifty eggs, living all alone in my brooder box after my son (6yo) adopted it. We call it 'Senator Hatch'.

Senator is about six weeks old, appears to be a Barred Rock, and is growing fast. He's currently about a third the size of the others. I am concerned about how to introduce him to the rest of my flock, 23 birds, about half Sussex and half Black Australorps.

This evening I brought Senator out to the chicken run. 23 eyes were staring at him the whole time. I sat with the Senator in my lap. The other chickens seemed curious but not hostile. After about ten minutes, I let him explore the coop, while the others were outside. He ventured out. A few hens came close, he pecked at their combs as if he didn't know what to do or was scared. After that insult the hens nipped at his backside, and I scooped him up just as he was running away.

Any wisdom, advice, ideas on acclimating him to his own kind? I think he's a cock based on his early comb, but I'm not sure if that's relevant...

 

[ging3rhoffman]

They say until they are the same size that you cant put them together. They also say to put a newbie on the roost in the evening and in the morning everything is suppose to go pretty well. I dont know because i havent tried it. Hopefully someone else will chime in on this issue.

 

[cmom]

I would wait until they are closer in size. There will be some pecking as they establish their pecking order.

 

[Judy]

Read here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock

You are fortunate in having BA's and Sussex as they tend to be docile. Does not mean they won't injure the newbies, though.

 

[Mahonri]

That is a great link, with wonderful info. Great to have handy.