Introducing young chickens with adult chickens

[ChickenGal64]

Hi there!
I have some young chickens that are about ready to be in the adult chicken pen. My older chickens are VERY protective and every year its pretty hard to get them used to the chicks. I always end up doing it but the next year I forget what I did to make them mesh! Does anyone have any tips or tricks to help mesh young chickens with adults?

Thanks!

 

[KOdin]

Let them see each other without being able to touch each other for awhile.

 

[Doc7]

I use panic doors the chicks can fit through In both the run and coop. They always hang out with the hens anyway though. I do this around 2.5 weeks or so.

 

[KOdin]

I use panic doors the chicks can fit through In both the run and coop. They always hang out with the hens anyway though. I do this around 2.5 weeks or so.View attachment 2148493

Oh my gosh LOL!! I’m not sure why the concept is so funny to me but great idea!

 

[Doc7]

Oh my gosh LOL!! I’m not sure why the concept is so funny to me but great idea!

I think I got this from @Ridgerunner ?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I call them safe havens. @azygous calls them panic rooms. I probably stole the basic idea from her. But I do sometimes use both names.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

I have a lot of space for my chickens (about an acre penned in) and I toss my chicks, pullets and hens together whenever and at whatever ages. I don't distance them or have them look at each other for awhile, because they have always just figured it out quickly.

That said, in smaller quarters where a lesser chicken could get pinned in a corner / cant's escape if the need to- then yes, I would absolutely use caution. But me, I would still just toss them all in and just watch for an hour or so. If things looked good, then they'll work it out.

Everyone has different introduction methods, give it a go and see what works for you.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I fenced off an area that shared a fence line with the big chickens, but I also had a brooder coop for the little ones. They stayed like that for probably six weeks so by that time they were pretty familiar with each other. When they were around 16/17 weeks old I put the littles in the coop with the bigs at night and they all woke up together. I made sure to go out at the first sign of daylight to open the door in case my plan was a disaster. It took a few days to establish a pecking order but there weren't any serious issues. There were plenty of places for chickens to hide too.

 

[Eggscaping]

Hi there!
I have some young chickens that are about ready to be in the adult chicken pen. My older chickens are VERY protective and every year its pretty hard to get them used to the chicks. I always end up doing it but the next year I forget what I did to make them mesh! Does anyone have any tips or tricks to help mesh young chickens with adults?

Thanks!

We have been using the "look but don't touch" method. We sectioned off an area in the coop and put the babies in there with their own feeder, waterer, and mama heat plate. That way everyone got to see the littles and get used to them. After some time, we started pulling the division wire aside for short times. When they eventually stopped reacting to the babies and acted like it was nothing new, we let them mix. They still each have their own mama heat plate, set at different heights, but all is working just fine.

 

[ChickenGal64]

Thank you for all the good ideas! Every day I have been puting my young chicks in a sectioned off area and it seems to be working alright. I have had then I'm there everyday (I bring them back inside once night comes)