Integrating 8 and 5 week old chicks

[JessRom]

I have 8 speckled Sussex that are 8 weeks old in my coop and in a seperate grow pen sharing a wire wall I have 5 blue splash marans that are 4.5 weeks. The splash’s are growing quick but are still only about half the size of the Sussex. What is the best age to incorporate into one coop and any suggestions? I let them out for a bit supervised last night in a 8x16 run and there was a little pecking but the splashes were super sacred and frantic to get back in their pen.

 

[kattabelly]

Posting photos of your setup would be really helpful for people to make recommendations. Having clutter to break up the line of sight and for chicks to hide behind (no dead ends where they could get cornered) is always helpful though, as is having multiple feeders and waterers. Creating a safe space / "panic room" that only the smaller chicks can fit into can work well to start, depending on the size difference.

Generally I'd say get them together as soon as possible. Three weeks isn't that much of an age difference.

 

[ChickenChick46]

I have 8 speckled Sussex that are 8 weeks old in my coop and in a seperate grow pen sharing a wire wall I have 5 blue splash marans that are 4.5 weeks. The splash’s are growing quick but are still only about half the size of the Sussex. What is the best age to incorporate into one coop and any suggestions? I let them out for a bit supervised last night in a 8x16 run and there was a little pecking but the splashes were super sacred and frantic to get back in their pen.

I think you're doing exactly the right thing. I have a small run/rabbit hutch that I put inside the main run. That way they can have see no touch integration for a few days. After a couple days, I'll let the new birds into the main run, but only while I'm there to supervise. If the new birds seem stressed, I'll close them back in the pen and try again later or the next day.

I've only integrated a couple groups this way, but neither took more than a few days for me to feel comfortable letting them stay together 24/7.

As for a specific age to put them together, I'm not sure there is one. You're there with them, so you're able to get a really good idea of how they're getting along. When I integrated for the first time, I was so worried I would "mess it up." But it turned out that intuition and simply monitoring the birds was quite easy, and I "just knew" when they were ready to be together.

I hope that makes sense!