Integrating babies - which matters more? size or maturity?

featherz

Veggie Chick
13 Years
Mar 22, 2010
5,378
504
426
Saratoga County, NY
I hatched out silkies almost three weeks ago and they are just getting to large fowl 'chick' size - most aren't even as big as day old LF chicks, although a few are close.

I'm (hopefully) doing a hatch of standard large fowl in another week. Assuming the silkies and the LF chicks are about the same size, which I think would happen when the LF chicks are a week or two old, would integrating them cause problems due to the month's head start of maturity in the silkie chicks?

Or is it just size that matters? <evil grin>.
 
When separating 2 groups of younger chickens (6 weeks or so & 10 weeks or so) from the larger chickens, they ended up getting out into the coop.
Now, I just leave part of the hardware mesh pulled open a bit so the smaller birds can slip in and out to safety when they want.
So far, it has worked out awesome. From the smallest chicken to the biggest chicken in my coop, there is a HUGE difference.
But the small birds are fast and can run to cover. The big birds don't even seem to worry with the little guys.
I think it is more so the medium-sized birds when they begin becoming "mature". Then the pecking and pulling feathers starts up a bit.

Take that for what it is worth, I suppose.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom