Integrating older chicks

[rachki]

Hello,

This is my first time raising chickens. We have 56 in total of varying ages:

• 14 Cornish Rocks [1-2 weeks]
  
• 5 Easter Eggers [2-4 weeks]
  
• 1 Bantam Easter Egger [2 Weeks]
  
• 2 Buff Orphingtons [3-4 weeks]
• 2 Amberlinks [3-4 weeks]
  
• 12 Barred Rocks [6 weeks]
• 20 Rhode Island Reds [5 weeks]

These chicks were grouped into different brooders, and I am now attempting to integrate the 12 Barred Rocks with 12 of the Rhode Island Reds. I put the two brooders next to each other, with wire between the chicks so that they could look at each other, but not touch. I left it this way for a week.

After that week I added the 12 Rhode Island Reds with the 12 Barred rocks in a big brooder. There are two food sources and 2 water sources in the big brooder. As expected there is/was lots of pecking from the Barred rocks, but not much actual fighting. The Rhode Island Reds are slightly smaller than the Barred rocks, although they are similar in size.

The two flocks stay completely separate and rarely intermingle. The Barred Rocks wander around the coop while the Reds stay in one small corner/area. When they do intermingle the Barred Rocks will peck the Red's heads. They also don't sleep together. The Reds sleep on the ground in the run and the Barred rocks sleep in the brooder coop on roosts/coop floor. If the reds try to sleep with the Rocks the Rocks will peck their heads/necks. This weekend I am planning on finishing the adult coop and will move the Rocks + Reds into it.

Is this normal/to be expected? How long until the flocks merge and a pecking order is established? I found many answers on integrating chicks with adults, but not older chicks with younger chicks that are fairly large.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Your chicks will remain separate groups until they are much older, usually over a year and they still will only hang out with those they were brooded with. It's best to only have a single group each year to avoid troubles. You may have problems trying to combine so many groups.