INTEGRATING

[mpoland33]

Hello everyone,
So I have chicks at a few stages and was wondering a couple things.

First off, I will have 3 week old chicks when my next hatch happens. Can you put them in the same brooder?

2nd, how and when does everyone integrate the chicks into your current hens?I have a mix of 10 one and two year olds. I have a raised coop with a ramp so I was thinking about making a little nest with a small hole so only they can get in and out and putting it under the coop

 

[MGG]

Hello everyone,
So I have chicks at a few stages and was wondering a couple things.

First off, I will have 3 week old chicks when my next hatch happens. Can you put them in the same brooder?

2nd, how and when does everyone integrate the chicks into your current hens?I have a mix of 10 one and two year olds. I have a raised coop with a ramp so I was thinking about making a little nest with a small hole so only they can get in and out and putting it under the coop

I would have a mod move this thread to the "Managing Your Flock" section. You'll get better answers there

 

[Rainkore]

This is just how I tend to do it so please get multiple opinions.

It depends how stubborn the older ones are, I put three day old chicks in with a two week old just fine but I’d say to try it and remove them immediately if there is any severe attacks. A little pecking is fine. Have a second brooder ready, or just put them in a separate brooder.

For integrating, you can start by letting the young ones out to see the adults if the adults act nicely around them when separated by wire. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific amount of time since some chickens adjust quicker, but between two weeks and a month of being separated by wire the young ones can usually start seeing the older ones with supervision. There will definitely be pecking and some fighting, that’s just them figuring out the pecking order, watch out for severe fighting and wounds. You can probably move them in with older ones at about three to four months, more or less.