Introducing baby chicken to flock

[sharon1610]

I have a two week old chicken that is kept separate with its mother from the rest of the flock.
The couple of times that I have let them out with the other hens the larger ones - Blue Astralorp and the Wynadotte are
very aggressive to the chick and peck it quite hard. These two hens are the "bullies" of the flock and peck the other hens.
The mother is very protective towards the chick. When is the best age for the chick to become part of the flock on a more permanent bases. The mother and chick sleep in their own little run on the ground and the others use the coop above.
This is my first time raising a chick and it has been a learning experience.

Thanks.

 

[azygous]

Don't be in a big hurry to integrate this chick with the other adult chickens. It could result in it getting injured or killed.

The best thing to prepare for ultimate integration is to make sure the broody and her chick are easily seen by the other chickens so they will come to understand there's a new flock member and the broody hen is still very much a part of the flock. But they both need to be kept safe from the aggression of the others for a while longer.

When it comes time to merge the two with the rest of the flock, a panic room set up would help to keep the chick safe until it's several months old and can fend off attacks. See my article linked below my post on outdoor brooding for information on how a panic room works.