Integrating chicks into flock at 4 weeks old.

[buterflysbeauty]

It's been a while since ive done this I did intergrate my chicks(that I incubated) about 5 weeks they are 15 weeks old now then I had a hen sit and hatch a 2 she kicked them out and I've noticed that the big girls are all meaners,, or is this a pecking order?

Are you seeing blood or injuries? Do you have places for them to hide and several different food/water places? You may have to do a "see, no touch" period with the babies that were kicked out since mama isn't protecting them.

 

[azkc]

Hi all. This is a very timely thread for me. Glad it was posted as a feature otherwise I would not have found it. My broody hen hatched 2 chicks that are just 4 weeks old. Her first time and she did a good job. I was wondering how I was going to integrate just 2 chicks and thanks to this thread I am going to try this method. We are going to have thunderstorms for the next few days so will wait till that's over before babies go out. we have a small portable A frame that will go in a chicken yard and do some fencing for "see and no touch." I think mama is ready to go back out and she laid an egg this morning. So hoping this will work for me.

 

[aart]

Hi all. This is a very timely thread for me. Glad it was posted as a feature otherwise I would not have found it. My broody hen hatched 2 chicks that are just 4 weeks old. Her first time and she did a good job. I was wondering how I was going to integrate just 2 chicks and thanks to this thread I am going to try this method. We are going to have thunderstorms for the next few days so will wait till that's over before babies go out. we have a small portable A frame that will go in a chicken yard and do some fencing for "see and no touch." I think mama is ready to go back out and she laid an egg this morning. So hoping this will work for me.

This method is about integrating incubated or purchased chicks....a broody mama should integrate the chicks for you.

 

[bruceha2000]

Well, sort of @aart?
Zorra protected "her" chicks 2 years ago until she kicked them to the curb. She had kept them as a single flock and chased off all the other hens. When she was done with them, they stayed their own little flock for quite some time.

I think the crew this year dragged Zorra away from the flock since at 3 weeks of age (when she took them) they were already independent and kept away from the older girls. Not hard to do since they weren't afraid of the alpacas and the older girls are. They are sometimes now found with the older girls but if certain ones, like Penelope, come by, they are GONE.

 

[MaryZoe]

I have all sorts of aged chickens integrated in a variety of ways, including three 2-week olds who were brooded by their mama hen, eight 5-week olds who were hatched in my incubator, several 3-4 month olds (bought a couple weeks ago), and 15 or so 6-month-old to 2-year-old hens with my 2 roosters. Somehow all of mine get along just fine. I have several coops, but they are all open for the chickens to wander in and out of. I also put my incubated chicks in a see-but-don't-touch coop that shares a rabbit wire fence with some of the older hens and leave them there for a couple weeks before allowing them to wander, but aside from that and the mama hen who protects her own babies, my chickens seem to do just fine together. The littles still have their own coop that they can escape into when they want, but the older hens can get in if they really want, which has never been a problem. It seems to me that as long as you have enough space and food for all the chix, they do just fine together.

I do recommend observing your newly introduced chicks for a while before trusting the older guys with them. But the only problems I have ever had revolve around overly excited young roosters who find my young pullets too interesting. I have been fortunate to be able to rehome those young fellas before they did any damage. My older, more mature rooster takes good care of the bitties. He protects them and their mom. It's beautiful to watch.

 

[Pstock44]

I have a few of these folding vegetable crates that I've cut openings in a couple of the sides. I used them when mama hatched her chicks with the adult flock. The chicks were chased around at times but learned to go to mama or hide out inside the crate. I used the waterer to weigh it down and have water close by. They also learned to use it when I gave out treats. They'd grab something and hide in there so the bigs wouldn't steal it from them.

They're now 14 weeks old and doing great. The littlest one still gets picked on sometimes but she'll usually go near the Roo and then no one seems to mess with her. Amazing how their structure developes. Here's a pic i took the other day.

The littlest one awhile ago.

 

[bruceha2000]

Mine are 14 weeks as well but Trouble (the cockerel) hasn't taken charge of anything yet. He is easily more than twice the size of the little Exchequer Leghorns and equal in size to many of the adults. Just hasn't figured out that he isn't supposed to cow to the older girls forever just yet.

What breed is your cockerel? Looks like you might have two the same?

 

[Pstock44]

Mine are 14 weeks as well but Trouble (the cockerel) hasn't taken charge of anything yet. He is easily more than twice the size of the little Exchequer Leghorns and equal in size to many of the adults. Just hasn't figured out that he isn't supposed to cow to the older girls forever just yet.

What breed is your cockerel? Looks like you might have two the same?

They're all Orpingtons. My roo, Batman, is a Blue, I have one Gold Laced hen and three Buffs. We have one chick that's almost pure black, one lavender and several other cool color mixes. We kept four to add to the flock. BTW, the little one is from a second hatch and is 2 weeks younger.

Here's one of the 2 Cockerels.

Our "black" one, Raven.

And our lavender, Lacey.

 

[Dmontgomery]

Just wanted to say thank you again for this thread and related article.
While I didn't build the "integration pen" to your exact specs, your ideas were an inspiration and got us through the past weeks much easier than expected.
We took down the walls yesterday. The little ones (we call brooder babies) just turned 9 weeks old. For the past week, they only scooted in and out of the pen to play. Apparently they are big enough to hold their own, so the walls came down.
Our little OEGB hatched out 2 chicks the same day I put the pen walls up. She moved her babies in as soon as she got them out of the nest. I left it up until she taught her chicks to roost up with the big girls.
Unfortunately 21 out of 31 brooder babies decided to roost on the exposed perchs in the run last night during a torrential downpour. Now we will spend the next few nights moving all of them to the roosts in the coop until they catch on.

 

[ritzychickens]

I am having an issue with getting my new chicks to go inside the chicken house. They want to sleep out in the run. How can I get them to go in the chicken house when the older hens run them out when they try to go in?