Integrating young birds

[enggass]

I will be hatching out some birds this Spring and need some advice.
I will not be able to hatch all at the same time due to incubator capacity.
My intention is to hatch out two batches in a row, making the second batch of chicks 3 weeks+/- younger than the first batch.
From what I have read here, I will not be able to put the newbies in the brooder with first batch right away.
I would like to integrate them with each other as soon as I can however, because I then have to integrate all of these with my current 5 birds(who will then be a year old).
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THEN... I plan on slowly acclimating the new hatches with my current birds so that they can all co-habitate by around 5 months of age.

Help?
Thanks,
Steve

 

[Judy]

It is safest not to integrate until all birds are more or less the same size. I would not hatch chicks if I did not have a separate area outdoors to house them until they were full size.

Here's a good article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock