Introducing pullets to the flock

[Trishkabob]

We have 3 rambunctious chicks, 4 weeks old and 2 older ones who range all day. The little ones have been outside in a pen, they have seen each other (I let them out in the yard once and they seemed mildly-to-not interested in each other except for a couple of pecks from one big girl).
My plan is to keep doing this for ... 2? 3? more weeks?
I guess I should begin to put the little ones in the coop pen so they know that's home before putting them in the henhouse itself? Then the nightime roost insertion (the little ones have been roosting for a week in their pen). Is 6 weeks too soon? Should we go by size? And once they sleep together (as it were) can little ones range with big ones?
what about food? i have read that the little ones shouldn't get layer ration until they lay so if we keep 2 kinds of food out there we have to keep feeding separate?
As somemone else said, perhaps I overthink.... but advice always welcome.

 

[Chickwhit]

I have two 3 year old Red Star hens and six 12 week old Buff Opingtons. We have had the two sets of birds separated with wire for about 3-4 weeks now. Last Friday we opened up a pathway so they could start to mingle while we sat in the run to watch. HURRAY! no issues. We were working on the big coop and let them stay together for a couple of hours. We then closed off the pathway. Then on Saturday we opened up the pathway again and they spent a few hours together. Sunday they spent the entire day together and we sat outside at night to see if they would all go to the big coop or to their separate ones. They went to their separate coops. I think we will continue with this strategy for the next couple of days. Then I think I will close off the smaller coop where the older girls live and sit out to see what happens at night. If there is a problem I can then open the smaller coop back up and wait until everyone is asleep to try again. I'm in hopes they will work this out for themselves (without to much fuse) but know not to hold my breath. This is the first time I've done this and I'm just going with how the birds are acting. Hopefully within a week things will be settled.

 

[debid]

You'll learn a lot when you let them come beak-to-beak. Either it will be no biggie with just a bit of pecking order business or some hen(s) will assign themselves the task of removing the intruders. There is a range of behavior from hens faced with intruders -- anything from chasing and giving up when they run to attacking and killing them is possible. There is just no predicting what will happen so my suggestion is to let them meet with you close by to intervene if necessary and go forward based on your observations.

BTW, being older may give the chicks some advantage of sticking up for themselves while being younger may give the advantage of seeming less threatening and being able to use a hiding place with too small of an opening for the grown hens to access. There is no perfect age, only lots of varying experiences and opinions.

 

[aggiemae]

I wait until the chicks are big enough to defend themselves.. About 9 or 10 weeks old.

 

[NinetreesMom]

So far my 6-week-old chicks have been in a tractor in the yard with the adults free-ranging around, but there is so little interaction that I can't tell what might happen. I think I will try letting them out while I am there, but I don't think they will care much until the babies try to come into the coop for the night. Hopefully after a few weeks of supervised daytime visits, that will go more smoothly too. Time will tell!

 

[aggiemae]

My 2013 chicks (born Feb 28) have been in the coop for about a month now there is some minor pecking especially in the early morning before we open the coop when the older hens chase the pullets off the top roost. However until this week we pretty much still had two distinct flocks.

Finally our Buff Orp is easily moving between the two groups and one of the RIR's has stopped chasing the pullets. The strange thing is that our "low hen" a Wellsummer who we though might finally have a friend pecks at and chases the new pullets more than all the other four hens combined.

 

[Trishkabob]

funny, we are having the same thing-our 3 little ones aren't in the coop with the 2 big girls yet (soon, very soon) but they are out in the garden together now almost every day. The older one who used to be low bird chases and pecks at the little ones; the JG just seems kind of bemused. My theory is that Harriet does NOT want to be low bird again.
I'm thinking we will have 2 tiny flocks for a bit too-I'm guessing our JG will make the first overtures to the little ones. (and I hope Harriet gets to be on a higher rung with this arrangement).
They are endlessly fascinating...

 

[holyshihtzu]

I am having isssues of if they are too small. they have been roaming within sight for 3 days now and the only direct contact that they've had was one of two silkies slipped out and started acting tough ( hard for a silkie). they are fully feathered barred rocks. does anyone have advice on if its too early? I have a small coop with no roost, can I just stick them in at bedtime and hope for the best....

 

[Trishkabob]

holy shihtzu, how old are your little ones? Ours would be really unhappy without a roost. Even in their pen the roost wasn't high enough and they freaked out a bit...their pen was inside the larger coop so all could see each other and the little ones flew to the roof of the henhouse to get higher. (they are 2 months old exactly today).
We have now divided the henhouse with wire and it has been 3 nights this way- the little ones seem happy on their side but the 2 big ones are annoyed that their space is suddenly smaller and one is continuing to hate the little ones (pecking, chasing...nothing that seems too mortal. The little ones run but come right back). The other older one is fine with them and has been hassling her "peer" so poor Harriet has been roosting on the pole by the nestbox, making unhappy noises that translate something like "I hate you guys-you're big jerks."
We're hoping by next week we can join them. Size-wise the half pints are maybe...not quite 2/3s the size of the big girls.
Having a small pen inside the run helped-Harriet doesn't want to go in there so the younger ones have a safe haven if necessary.
Out roaming, they are 2 very distinct flocks of 2 and 3. I hope they come together soon.

 

[holyshihtzu]

I think the "babies" are about 4-5 weeks, stupidly I didn't ask the feed store. I am currently adding an addition on my coop, well basically a whole second coop that I could put a roost in. It just never seemed to bother the silkies that are my two adults. the seem to just cuddle in a corner to sleep. I have been looking at the babies today and they definitely need a roost, so I think the best thing is to put a bar in the new coop. I may try the wire separation and see if that will if anything help me care for everyone until I can have them all together. right now I have the babies sleeping in the garage in a container and roaming in the yard fenced off from the chicken run. I have a fifth bird that sleeps also in the garage that has another separate fenced and covered run, she is looking for a new home and I didn't want her closed up all the time.