Integrating mature birds with 7 week old chicks

[highpointfarm]

Keep the mature birds and the younger birds as far away as possible... You dont know what the mature birds may be carrying as far as diseases go.... (the adults birds may be able to fight it off but the youngers might not...) Other than that it seems that this is a good idea... Oh yeah, I highly suggest only getting one rooster...... having 2 roosters for 2 hens Will cause them to fight ALOT... they may even fight to the death...

 

[eggspresso]

Thanks for the good advice! Integrating is always tricky.

 

[Barred4Life]

Keep the mature birds and the younger birds as far away as possible... You dont know what the mature birds may be carrying as far as diseases go.... (the adults birds may be able to fight it off but the youngers might not...) Other than that it seems that this is a good idea... Oh yeah, I highly suggest only getting one rooster...... having 2 roosters for 2 hens Will cause them to fight ALOT... they may even fight to the death...

The roosters never fight, maybe it's the docile side of the Barred Rock or just happen to have good tempered birds, but the main issue is the 2 hens. They were getting way too much 'sexy time' ! We ate one of the roosters, and now we've got a well balanced coop. For the sake of the hens I now would recommend to stick with the 1 rooster to 8 hens ratio...the poor girls need a break now and then

 

[cdb1949]

We have 5 hens and one roo. One hen, a Sussex, is broody again so we are letting her hatch whatever she can this time. New to this, how old should the baby chicks be before integrating them into the rest of the population? Their hatching area will be basically attached to the present run where all can see each other when chicks can walk out and about but no contact can be made by either run. So, how will we know when to let them 'play' together?

 

[chickadoodles]

Very nice coop!

 

[what did I do]

We have 5 hens and one roo. One hen, a Sussex, is broody again so we are letting her hatch whatever she can this time. New to this, how old should the baby chicks be before integrating them into the rest of the population? Their hatching area will be basically attached to the present run where all can see each other when chicks can walk out and about but no contact can be made by either run.  So, how will we know when to let them 'play' together?

As long as the chicks have a hen with them you can introduce them at any time. I gave my chicks and hen about a week or two together before moving them into the coop but it was very cold some of those days.

 

[Barred4Life]

Very nice coop!

Thanks...it's traveled 600km and took two ferry rides with the birds inside, since we've built it. Mobile chicken coop!

 

[HomesteadDebi]

Thanks...it's traveled 600km and took two ferry rides with the birds inside, since we've built it. Mobile chicken coop!

lol That's awesome!

 

[The Hen]

I'm going to offer a differing opinion than most. I think you can integrate mature with chicks as young as five weeks. I just introduced 14 chicks and 2 turkeys(both 5 weeks old) to my flock earlier this week. They fight a little while at first, you just sort of have to watch them. They've been together for 5 days now and fighting has virtually stopped. They fought for the first day but have since calmed down. The roosters don't mess with the chicks either because they don't view them as a threat. This has been my experience at least.

i took one 6 week old in with my older ladies while i stayed in there and the black hen jumped twice on the chick and started pecking at her. She did not like her at all. The chick cried and took off running. she was so scared. There was no fighting it was all or nothing for the black one.