I see so many people on here continually hatching... How are you all integrating the chicks with each other and at what ages? I have seen the articles about adding birds to a current flock, but what about Newborns with 4 week olds? 2 week olds with 5 weeks olds etc? You must have a way or you must have many brooders... I have some chicks hatching this weekend and my last hatch will be 4 weeks old. When can I integrate these 2 hatches with each other? Tips?
Hi. This is how i do it. I have new hatchlings, they go in a brooder in tge house for 2+ weeks. Depends on how i feel at the moment. Then i move them to tge garage brooder. Once they are able to be without a light i move them to their own pen in the big coop so everyone can get used to each other. I find that if everyone freeranges togeather they adjust quicker. The young ones can hide/ run from the bigger ones. When theyre about 4 mos i move them to the pen with the layers so they learn to lay in nestboxes instead of hiding eggs. Lasy year everyone would free range togeather once the babies were off the light. We had a small coop just for them, but im hatching regularly now so i had to change things. Broodies get their own coop to sleep in, but they free range with the others, they intagrate the chicks. Wish i had more broodies. Lol
