introducing new chicks to a 13 week old flock. safety concerns.

[cupman]

I have 12 chickens aged 13 weeks and I was thinking of buying around 3-5 more chicks for my flock. How old should they be before I introduce them? I am afraid if they are too small the big girls would crush them to death accidentally.

 

[Dunkopf]

It's not easy any time. Best thing is to arrange your coop so they have a see through barrier separating them. That way they get used to each other without the little ones getting pecked to death. Sometimes if they're real young you can find a momma hen that will take them under her wing. At 13 weeks I don't think you'll find one of those though. Our coop has 2 rooms connected by a doorway. We just put chicken wire up until they get used to each other. No rush on our part, so we usually wait at least 2 weeks, then take the wire down. They get a little teaching about territories and who gets to eat first, then they all get along. Roosters of course figure in but at 13 weeks they don't really know they are roosters yet.