Mixing 1 week with 3 week chicks

[BellevueOmlet]

I have very specific breeds that I want and have them available at my local feed store. The problem is they all come on a different week so the youngest will be 2 weeks younger than the oldest. I know it is difficult to introduce fully grown chickens to each other but do chicks even have a pecking order? Will I have problems if I get two chicks one week, another the next and another the next? TIA

 

[Heckel's Hens]

I can't say for sure, since all chicks can be different, but this month I successfully integrated 10 3 day old chicks with 5 chicks that were 2 weeks and 4 days old. I put them all in a big plastic tub for a temporary brooder and used a cooling rack for a divider. LOL I didn't have any extra chicken wire at the moment!

So each age group had it's own side and I kept it that way for 2 days.

Then I moved a few of the bigger baby chicks in with the 2 week olds, while I watched. They got slight pecks and trampled on, but nothing bad. They learned very quickly to move out of the way!

Now they are all mixed together and the smaller ones cuddle up to the older chicks. \\


Good luck!

 

[SIMPleChick]

Success! I had 4-three and a half week old chicks, one a roo that is really large... and the other 4 chicks at two and a half weeks and introduced 3 more brand new babies last friday. I just sit and watch them for a while and make sure the larger ones were being nice. No realy problem other than one new baby with light fluff had dark spots of poo from the feed store and the other chicks were trying to peck it off of her, so I had to cut off those spots so they would leave her alone. The larger ones for the first few hours huddled in the opposite corner away from the babies but that night they were all cuddled up against each other. The new babies asserted themselves even at 2-3 days old so don't worry. Just keep an eye on them the first few hours. They LOBE to sit on top of each other too!

 

[Fred's Hens]

I've had success too, but with this caveat. My brooder is huge. 5'x8' so they have room to form their own subsets and stay away from each. I used two water fonts and two feed trays. This seemed to work well. The older chicks always had the advantage in the pecking order until they were almost 7 months old and then, seemingly, the pecking order got shuffled.

Had they been stuck in close quarters, I believe there would have been far more issues. Here is a pic. The red/yellow chicks were 2 weeks older than the black chicks.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

Thanks. After those responses, I'm very excited instead of just being worried. I can't wait to see how they interact. Fred's Hens - that is a huge brooder; lucky chicks

I would like to do that for my chicks but they would be cat lunch, that and I don't have the room, but they will have sufficient space. thanks everyone. New chicks - here I come!

 

[duckking]

I just found this thread after I posted the same question. I am in exactly the same position.....I have 2' x 6' brooder that I can easily separate into 2 parts, but allows them to see each other and interact. Think I'm going to give it a try!

Thanks!