Introducking chickens

[Brittany Proffitt]

I have 12 chickens, 9 were hatched about 6 weeks before the other 3. How can I introduce them? I am new to owning chickens. When I tried to put them together the older chicks started chasing the younger ones around pecking ans grabbing them. It seemed to hurt the you get ones. What can I do to bring the 2 sets together, to live in one coop. Thanks.

 

[Lamaremybabies]

I'm a fan of the play pen method. You put the younger chicks in a temporary run next to the older ones so they can see but not touch everyday for a week or so (until the older chicks basically ignore the younger ones) and then let them out. Make sure there's an area for the younger chicks to get away from the older ones though, in case they need a break because the older chicks will start pecking them to astablish the new pecking order (yes that's a real thing). After the first day or so the pecking will drastically decrease, but will still happen on occasion. This method has worked for me and I currently have a flock of 16 chickens ranging from 1 1/2 years old down to 8 weeks old living together without a problem.