Introducing new baby chicks to current chicks

[Broke chicken lady]

Hello Crazy Chicken lover peeps, hope everyone is staying safe, washing their hands 27 times a day & by no means touching their faces...
-I need some advise-
I have 4 pullets that are about 5 weeks old. I have moved them into their coop outside already (i live south of Houston TX, 80° weather). They have full range of my fenced in back yard all day (live in town of an extremely sm country town, pop of 500ish). Today I got 2 more two day old chicks.
QUESTIONS
1) When can the new peeps go out with the current fluffy butts?
2)What is the best way to introduce the new peeps to current fluffy butts?

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Hi! Yes, surviving (building a new coop actually)!

1) Your new chicks need heat for at least a month until they are at least mostly feathered. 80 degrees is nice for you (kinda jealous), but chicks need 95 degrees for 2 weeks, then drop 5 degrees per week. The difference between 80 and 95 could be losing 2 chicks! So keep them warm.

2) Once they are off the heat and can move outside, with the ages they are (assuming 4-6 weeks chick and 2-3 month pullets) I think you'll be fine just tossing them together, I do all the time. They kind of ignore each other at that age and band together with the chicks they were raised with.

 

[Broke chicken lady]

Hi! Yes, surviving (building a new coop actually)!

1) Your new chicks need heat for at least a month until they are at least mostly feathered. 80 degrees is nice for you (kinda jealous), but chicks need 95 degrees for 2 weeks, then drop 5 degrees per week. The difference between 80 and 95 could be losing 2 chicks! So keep them warm.

2) Once they are off the heat and can move outside, with the ages they are (assuming 4-6 weeks chick and 2-3 month pullets) I think you'll be fine just tossing them together, I do all the time. They kind of ignore each other at that age and band together with the chicks they were raised with.

I am still building the FINAL “Hen Shed” as well. And you made it sound so easy. Thank you

 

[BaaKaaawk]

I am still building the FINAL “Hen Shed” as well. And you made it sound so easy. Thank you

So many people are building them! I call it CoronaCoops! See, there is always a silver-lining... een when being "cooped up" with the family for like 10 years... I mean a month. A month... oh dear.

 

[aart]

Sorry gotta disagree here.

Your new chicks need heat for at least a month until they are at least mostly feathered. 80 degrees is nice for you (kinda jealous), but chicks need 95 degrees for 2 weeks, then drop 5 degrees per week.

That may be too hot, make sure they have a cool place too.

Once they are off the heat and can move outside, with the ages they are (assuming 4-6 weeks chick and 2-3 month pullets) I think you'll be fine just tossing them together, I do all the time. They kind of ignore each other at that age and band together with the chicks they were raised with.

That might work out, if they all have lots of space, or it could be a blood bath.
I'd get them together sooner rather than later...and with some caution.

How are your heating your chicks @Broke chicken lady ?
Any chance you can put heater out in coop?
How big is coop?
Dimension and pics would help here.


Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


...and some tips about....
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.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[BaaKaaawk]

That might work out, if they all have lots of space, or it could be a blood bath.
I'd get them together sooner rather than later...and with some caution.

I always forget I have unlimited chicken space!

 

[aart]

I always forget I have unlimited chicken space!

Space is key!
Why I always ask to see coops/runs.

 

[Broke chicken lady]

How are your heating your chicks ? With a Heat lamp (Red)
Any chance you can put heater out in coop? I can once it is complete, I am still working on the final touches of it. The 5-6 week old ones are in sorta rabbit coop out side now (2x3ish) that is placed with inside of the run itself. But I let them have full range of my back yard right now since I am home due to virus.
How big is coop? The Coop its self is 4x6x5. The run is 6x16x8.
Dimension and pics would help here.
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[Broke chicken lady]

I have fully and successfully merged my Aprox 2.5 month olds (4 gals) with close to 3 week olds (roo & Gal). I have a fully closed in coop with attached run all done with 1/2” hardwire. Door gaps are much smaller than the hardwire ( my thought. rodents would work through the wire b4 the door ). We live in a small town. In town!! . Really the varmints I’m concerned about are bird and snakes (the pet cat is much to fat to work for her dinner).
I placed the brooder (old small rabbit habitat) in the run side of the enclosure. And let the Tony’s out in the run while I was there. My 2 teen reds could careless about the newbies. But the ring leader Persephonie (laced Wyandottes) set the tone pretty quickly. No real pecking but just a few charges. I zip tied some leftover plastic lattes together and put the square in the corner of the run for a safety get away if needed (they can squeeze in and the teens can not). The 2 babies keep to themselves and don’t really interact with the teens. (Let’s face it. If given the choice who would ever interact with a teen gal (I’m got a 13yo) I put a sleeping box in the coop house for the babies untill the get ready to roost while sleeping and they have slept there 2 night in row. All get up together and go to work together and somewhat go to bed together. My baby roo waits about 15 minutes after the teen. Go inside to follow & his best buddy Ruby is glued to his wig. So that when she goes to. No matter how much she screams and troughs a tantrum.
Very smooth process!!

coop pictures below b4 the exterior wall went up.