Introducing chicks and chickens

[RubiconChicken]

I have two quick questions:

1. Will it be okay if I introduce a 1 year old hen to my current flock of 8 week old chicks?

2. I just got 10 more chicks that are now 5 days old - when can I introduce them to my current young flock? I was thinking they would be okay around 6 weeks since they are only 7 weeks apart in age.

Thank you!

 

[lderouchie]

It depends on the hen. There is pecking order, so just be cautious that she doesn't peck at them, hurting or potentially killing them.

 

[aart]

I have two quick questions:

1. Will it be okay if I introduce a 1 year old hen to my current flock of 8 week old chicks?

2. I just got 10 more chicks that are now 5 days old - when can I introduce them to my current young flock? I was thinking they would be okay around 6 weeks since they are only 7 weeks apart in age.

Thank you!

@RubiconChicken I'd suggest you pass on the one year old,
too many risks and complications,
and focus on how you will integrate the chicks.
Here's some basic considerations.

Consider biological/medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
BYC 'quarantine' search


Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

This used to be a better search, new format has reduced it's efficacy, but still:
Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, BUT some info is outdated IMO:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[Ridgerunner]

1. Will it be okay if I introduce a 1 year old hen to my current flock of 8 week old chicks?

Why do you want the hen? Is there some compelling reason? If you feel you really need her we can discuss it in detail, let us know. But I generally agree with Aart, she adds risk and complications. I'll stick with this short answer unless you want details.

2. I just got 10 more chicks that are now 5 days old - when can I introduce them to my current young flock? I was thinking they would be okay around 6 weeks since they are only 7 weeks apart in age.

This is not a short answer. It depends on how much room you have, how your facilities are laid out, and how you manage them. Some luck will be involved too since individual personalities play a big part. You are dealing with living animals, a lot of different things could possibly happen. If you can tell us about your facilities (coops and runs), size, how they are connected, whether you free range of keep them penned, such as that. Photos can be really helpful.

More mature chickens outrank less mature chickens, even when they are chicks 7 weeks apart in age. Often the more mature ones don't like their personal space invaded by younger brats so they peck them to run them away. It usually doesn't take long for the younger to learn to avoid the older. That's why room is important, thy need enough room to avoid the older ones. Does this happen each and every time? No, it depends on their individual personalities, but it is pretty common. Sometimes they mingle without issues. This is really rare but occasionally an older one will try to mother the younger. With living animals you never know.

Occasionally you get an older one that is a brute and a bully. They go out of the way to seek out younger weaker chickens to beat the crap out of them, maybe trying to kill them. In my experience this is pretty rare if they have a lot of room but the more they are squeezed together the more likely this is to happen.

One specific area of conflict is where they sleep. I have a lot of room in the coop and the run. Mine tend to get along great during the day but can get kind of nasty as they settle down at night, even among a group that are all the same age. It usually doesn't take long for the younger to learn to avoid the older at night. I don't try to force them to sleep together. I give them enough room and let them work it out on their schedule.

For what it is worth my flock in the summer generally consists of a rooster, 7 or 8 mature hens, and over 40 other brooder-raised and broody-raised chicks of various ages, with the chicks separated in age by several weeks or months. I hardly ever have serious problems. My broody hens raise their chicks with the flock. My brooder is in the coop so the brooder-raised chicks are raised with the flock. I think that makes a huge amount of difference, along with plenty of space and not forcing them to be together in tight spaces. Some groups mingle a lot more than others, but as long as no one gets hurt I think it is all great. I typically integrate 5 week old brooder-raised chicks with the flock and have never lost a chick to another adult flock member.

Aart gives some good guidelines to follow. Give them time across wire to get to know each other and get used to each other, separate feed and water stations to reduce potential point pf conflict, and give them as much room as you can. You can improve the quality of the room you do have by giving them things to hide under, behind, or over.

In spite of what you read on here, often this goes so smoothly you wonder what the concern was even if you don't do a lot of this stuff. We go with an abundance or caution because sometimes it does end in tragedy. The more of this stuff you follow the better your chances of success. Good luck!

 

[Mrs. K]

If I read your post correctly, you are just starting out with chickens, have 8 week old chicks, and now 10 more 5 day chicks, and are thinking of adding a full grown hen to that. The highly respected above posters addressed the serious problems you can add by adding an adult in this situation.

You appear to be suffering from chicken math, this happens to almost all of us. A point that I want to raise with you, is that what seems like a LOT OF ROOM with very young birds and chicks, RAPIDLY gets too small with full grown chickens. It is rather hard to believe how big those birds are going to get.

Now perhaps, you truly do have a very large coop and run. But to make sure you know just what you need, I am guessing how many 8 week old you have + 10 chicks, could be 11-20 birds? You should have a coop that is about a 6 x 12 or 8 x 10 foot square coop. And need a run that is bigger. If you do have this set up, I apologize, but many new posters often fall into this trap, and I myself have been there.

Often times, what happens, is we get posts on here, where all the flock was getting along splendidly, and then for some unknown reason, they begin very ugly chicken behaviors. Nearly alway, they have outgrown their space. People sometimes think that if they were raised together, they will be used to over crowding, but over crowding causes a lot of chicken problems.

This is a marvelous hobby, can be enjoyed for years!

Welcome,

Mrs K