Intoducing chicks to the flock

[RyanfromPA]

So my chicks are putting my brooder to it's limits.Id like to put them in my coop, but the two hens and the rooster want to murder the chicks what to do? Is it ok to pen the three adults up rather than the chicks. And I should mention I just put the adults in a crate in the run kinda freaked when they were so aggressive with the chicks since I've never seen them peck at each other. This is my first post if I didn't do it correctly sorry.

 

[pwiker]

Keep them together but provide protection for the chicks by separating the coop with a wire separator or other method to keep the adults in proximity but not able to peck. The only other choice is to wait for the chicks to be big enough to be able to 'run' to avoid the worst of the pecking. They will make it. Don't worry too much.

 

[azygous]

The solution is what I call a "panic room". It's a protective enclosure for the chicks that the adults can't get into. Make sure little heads can't poke through the mesh and get scalped.

After the chicks have spent a week in this enclosure, and you can bring them back indoors to sleep at night, make little 5 x 7 inch openings in the chick panic room. This will allow the chicks to explore the run and mingle safely with the adults because they will use the panic room to duck back into when they get harassed.

You will need to make sure the chicks have plenty of space in which to evade the big chickens. If they all have very limited space, you may encounter problems and injuries.