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3SiameseCats
Songster
They have been long fully integrated and the others don’t mind them. They leave them alone. My only issue is predators, not trying to integrate them, so this is irrelevant to my issue.4 week old chicks shouldn't be added to the flock without providing hiding places and supervising them. They won't be fully integrated into the flock until they're laying and earn their spot in the pecking order. (4-6 months old) You also want to separate them from the cockerels to prevent them being abuse. I've raised my chicks with my flock as young as 2 weeks old but I eventually separated them because the hens refused to let them eat.I now have a divided run for my chicks for their own safety.I don't release my cockerels earlier than 3 months to prevent losses.
You can start introducing chicks to your flock at 2 weeks, as long as they have their own area on the coop that has food and water and grit. I use a pet run and some plastic mesh stuff I had laying around. I used cardboard and zip ties to make a door big enough for only them to get through. Then I left them to deside what they wanted to do. Some adult chickens have a harder time adjusting, but my flock has been really good as the only thing they were interested in about the chicks at first was their food.
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