I put my chicks in the run with my older birds. The chicks are in the brooder still but yesterday I was able to stay home and observe them so I decided to let the chicks out and get to know their new flock mates. The older hens were less than thrilled to find the strangers, who had been inside the brooder near the coop for a few days, out in the run. They started pecking which I expected but it didn't slow down, it seemed to get more and more violent. When a hen picked up a chick by the feathers I decided to throw in the towel and place the chicks back in the brooder, which is still inside the run. Other than the hens who were pretty brutal in their onslaught the lowest rooster was the meanest to the new chicks. Does he have something to prove? Is this going to work? I'm going to be away soon and need to mix the flock so they can all eat and drink from the auto feeders and waterers that I've made. I have the chicks some honey in their water in case they were in shock over the ordeal and I'm probably going to leave them in the brooder until the weekend again so I can watch the battle royal and stop it if anything gets too violent. Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated. The chicks are about 4 weeks old and the older birds are about 10-11 weeks old. Would culling the low rooster and perhaps thinning Roos down from 4 to 2 total help?
I haven't had to introduce babies to a flock yet-but I will soon. I've read up on it a lot-but am still pretty scared myself. From what I read you want them all to be about the same size-and that is why they recommend not introducing the younglings to the flock until they are 4 months. I've also heard that introducing them at night, just putting them on the roost helps, as they wake up and are so stupid they think the others have been there the whole time. I hope you find your answers, I'm going to follow along and hope I learn a thing or two (or seventy).
