Is it ok to add a laying hen with younger chicks

[carl0209]

Ok we have 7 chicks. 3 RIR 3 Red Stars and 1 Barred Rock. They are between 6 and 78 Wks old. Would it be ok to add a 24 wk old RIR to the coop? I was thinking that she might help train them to go into the hen house at night

 

[iwiw60]

I'm sure you'll get a ton of replies to your question, but me, myself? I would be leery of plopping a RIR laying hen in with little chicks. RIR's are known for being very aggressive and you wouldn't want your chicks pecked like crazy. With that said, you could separate this new hen from your flock for I'd say at LEAST 3 weeks, even with just some chicken wire separating them. That way they can 'see' each other, but not go into attack mode. Best of luck and like I said, you'll most probably get varying degrees of answers to this!

 

[carl0209]

I do appreciate your answer. I actually talked to a local hatchery owner yesterday that said the same as you. So two of the same answers LOL. Thank you again.