is this a good way to introduce chicks?

[five is my dog]

The key is how your rooster handles them. In general a rooster doesn't care a wink about chicks until the mother has given them up. So if he's going to accept them as part of the pecking order then they will integrate. But if he thinks they're too small and tries to really go after them it's too soon. 6 weeks is possible, for a bigger breed, what kind of birds?

they are buff orpingtons (2) and barred rocks (3). he didnt seem to really care about them when i held them up near him ( but far enough not to get them ). the barred rocks are kinda big but the buffs are smaller.

 

[five is my dog]

Well it won't hurt but what they really need is for the older birds to get used to seeing them around in the daytime, all day, every day. When I had only one coop I would section off part of the run for the youngsters and they spent all day out there from the age of 5 weeks, they need to have a small coop or other shelter available of course. Now I have a grow-out pen and coop right alongside my older birds. Chicks go into that at 5 weeks old and stay there until they are around 15 weeks old, the same size as the older birds. Then I start letting them out to free range in the pasture together. By that time they are old news and pecking order issues are extremely minor.

when they free range they will be able to see the babies in the pen.

 

[Eggcessive]

When I bring brooder chicks into the big coop, I turn this fence just the opposite that you see in the picture, and ziptie the plastic chicken netting all around when they are tiny. Then when they have been there about 2 weeks, I flip it upside down like this, remove the plastic netting and they can go out to explore, but the big chickens can go inside to get there food or hurt them. Soon they are going outside, but they do it gradually, and by then they just get a little peck once in a while. They roost inside and later on the sides. After a month it comes out.

 

[five is my dog]

When I bring brooder chicks into the big coop, I turn this fence just the opposite that you see in the picture, and ziptie the plastic chicken netting all around when they are tiny. Then when they have been there about 2 weeks, I flip it upside down like this, remove the plastic netting and they can go out to explore, but the big chickens can go inside to get there food or hurt them. Soon they are going outside, but they do it gradually, and by then they just get a little peck once in a while. They roost inside and later on the sides. After a month it comes out.

thank you!

 

[five is my dog]

i was thinking of putting my 2 sweet RIRs in with them tomorrow. at the most they might peck them a little but i think they will be fine. my barowed supposed to go broody hen got lonely so i put one in with her and they didnt even touch each other they just became best friends.

think that will be ok?