Introducing chicks to existing flock??

[henloverinmaine]

I have a buff cochin/RIR chick thats almost 4 weeks old. When and how do I introduce it to the hens and roo I already have? I put s/he outside to let them kinda meet from a distance. They all showed interest in the chick, but then one of the hens pecked the chick and was aggressive. Then to top it off I bought 3 black sex links that are about 10-14 days old and the cochin chick will peck at the babies. Everyone is in their own cages for now, but they will need to be all together at some point. How do barnyard raised chicks get along without being pick on by the others? Am I worried for nothing? Do these things just work out in the end?
Thanks!

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

BUMP......yes I am in the same situation ...well almost....I have 2 week old chicks with their surragate mother...right now they're in a cage in the coop..everyone seems happy.....when can i let them go and should I stop feeding the medicated chick feed...so my other laying girls dont eat it....thanks

 

[Mom2Cool]

I'd kind of like the answer to this one myself. I've 4 chicks about 4 wks old now and right now hubby's working on building the surround around the chicken coop we have. I'd just seen 2 full grown laying hens Buff Orphringtons (sp?) that are already laying & are for sale right around the corner from me. I'd love to get the 2 hens but will it be a problem putting them in with the pullets now? I'd heard that they are such a docile breed (the Buff Orphringtons) that it's tough to introduce them to other kinds because they'll be picked on. I'd hoped that getting them as adults might make it easier for them to slip in? I'd love to know what you all think & of course again I was looking to see what people tell henloverinmaine.

 

[Mom2Cool]

Quote:
Ok well good then I'm not the only one that's debating this! LOL And I hadn't even thought of the chick feed etc.

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

I know I have a very large bag full of the medicated feed and only 4 chicks ...I wonder how long it will last for??...OR will I have to go get myself some more fertile eggs when my bantam goes broody again...LOL

 

[Chickenaddict]

I waited until my little ones were about 2 months old then for 2 weeks straight i took them outside to free range around the rest of the flock before i put them in the coop with the others.... was a bit rocky for the first week but now everyones happy altho they tend to keep their distance from the older flock members while they free range in the yard during the day. I'm also doing the same thing with another batch of month old chicks and it has been going great so i guess from my experience it helps to introduce them slowly in the yard at 4 weeks old but bring them into their own cage at night for the first few weeks or longer depending on how the others react.. They will peck the little ones just to show them that they are at the bottom of the pecking order, i have been thru that many times over and it seems so cruel but eventually it works out . When you do put them in the coop the first night keep a close eye on them and make sure everyone is ok sometimes it takes awhile for them to wind down once in the coop for the night. I got up at the crack of dawn the following morning just to be sure noone was injured during the night. Hope that helps and best of luck to you

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

Thanks chicken addict great information...was wondering where you kept the chicks for the 2 months? In a cage...a run....the reason I ask is my coop is not that big and the cage takes up so much room ...do you think we should be making a chicken tractor for them for the summer...for mom and chicks and then come September I can start introducing them....thanks again

 

[Chirpy]

As chickenaddict stated it is possible to introduce young chicks to older chickens and have things work out. However, that is often not the case.

The best solution is to wait until the chicks are the same size as the older chickens and then do a slow transition. Put them near each other during the day so they can see each other. Do that for a week or so, then, when it's time to actually move them in together do it at night. Put the new ones in, on the roosts, so that they all wake up together in the morning. You will still need to keep a close eye on things for a few days to make sure that someone isn't really getting pecked on and hurt.

The reason that our Grandparents didn't have to go through this when they had chickens is because their broodies raised the chicks and protected them from the flock until the young ones were accepted and/or old enough to fend for themselves.

I've got a three week old chick in with all my adults right now but she's fine. She was hatched in the chicken coop and her momma chases off any of the other chickens that get too close.

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

So Chirpy do you think I would be okay to let my mama chicken and her four babies go into the rest of the flock...they all have seen each other since day one....

 

[lovemychicks9]

I am kinda in the same boat as you all. I have 10 - 10 week old 's , 8 - 4 week olds and on Weds. I will have 6 more 1 day olds. I have the 4 week olds on the same side of the coop that the day olds will be on only they ( one day olds) will be in a hutch for about 3 weeks and I hope to be able to transition them in pretty easily with the now 4 week olds. Do you think that will be a problem? But them I am wondering how I will transition them in with the big girls. They are all able to see each other through wire and we have decided to build a temporary pen so the babies can get outside but not in with the big girls. How long do you think they should stay seperate before it is safe to put them all together? Trudy