Integrating in with the Crew

[BlueCamas]

I am planning on bringing little chickies home from the Oregon Poultry Swap (be there!!!) and I was wondering the best age for them to move into the coop with the other chickens. I currently have 3 chickens, two pullets and a rooster, all are banties. Do I have to wait until the chicks are the same size as the adults to do intros? The Coop is huge so they won't be cramped in with bossy older birds. My chickens free range during the day and don't go into the coop until dusk. Can the chicks be in the coop and run while the adults are away?

Anyway, enough with my ramblings, what's the best way to do intro with chicks to adult birds? How old can the chicks be when they move into the coop with the big girls (and boy,

he is such a sissy!)

Oh, and I'm not moving the chicks outside until they have enough feathers grown in

 

[SteveBaz]

County fair in Corvallis Benton County Fairgrounds?

I just posted this into another thread and being lazy but is perfect;

I integrated 2 groups successfully but it 2 weeks to do and glad it worked out. I put the young 6 weekers in a large parrot cage where they where safe and put them together in the coop and let the other girls stay for a few hours the first day. The next day I opened the door to the parrot cage and let the go into the coop my all day while the other girls where in the run. I intentionally put water and food right next to each other but having the wire separate them so they could see each other while eating bc this is where the pecking order for sure is to happen. Now that they are kind of eating around each other there is an acceptance in some way or recognition. From the 3rd day on they went out in the coop in the morning to the coop without the carry cage. Day 10 I left 1 most curious girl with them very low on the pecking order in the coop with me in there ( nervous daddy ) to protect and interact with them I threw spaghetti out so Mable would share with them and then the next day I opened the coop and watched from the window helpless to do a thing if it happened but they really turned into 2 little self contained flocks running around in 1 run to be honest with you. I will be doing it once again with the new Polish kids coming and the 8th week will be turning my back and walking away looking through the kitchen window helpless to just trust.