Integrating chicks with other chicks

[Erin80]

Always interesting when you go to bed and no one has pipped, and you wake up to a dry sweet little chick! Anyways.....

I have 3 Polish and one Ameraucana, they are two weeks old. I am currently hatching 4 silkies (three out, last one due by tomorrow). I’d really like to integrate these 8 together. What is a good age to do that? Should I give the silkies a week to get their legs under them and gain some strength?

 

[NatJ]

Should I give the silkies a week to get their legs under them and gain some strength?

Maybe even less than a week--just so they're running around and not stumbling so much. Earlier is probably better.

You can just put them together and watch what happens. If it doesn't work, you can set up a divided brooder, with hardware cloth or something so they can see and hear each other. Then, in a few days, try taking the divider out.

The bigger the brooder, the better it will go. And giving them other things to think about--like a piece of sod, or an apple core to peck, or a pile of dead leaves to scratch through--can help avoid bullying as they get used to each other.