Mixing 17 week old chicks in with already established flock

[Kenzie22]

I have 13 17 week old chicks, I think they are out of room in the coop they are in ( we have had 2 injured birds die) so the main flock consists of about 15 older hens and one rooster, is it too soon to mix them?

 

[Debbie292d]

What breed of chickens are these?

Have they had a chance to see each other before today?

With our silkies, that would be borderline time to integrate - 5 mos is best as then they are the same size, which helps.

Does your coop/run have clutter so if they are initially chased they could find cover? Here's a post with ideas for "clutter."

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

Is your coop large enough for 29 birds? 4 square feet per bird would mean if it's at least 116 sq feet, it should be good.

 

[Noraaaaa]

They should be good bc they are almost full grown and there is about a equal amount of them. I mixed in 5 bantams that were 4 months old into a flock of 6 full grown hens and they were fine. Debbie had some good questions that you should consider before anything!

 

[Kenzie22]

What breed of chickens are these?

Have they had a chance to see each other before today?

With our silkies, that would be borderline time to integrate - 5 mos is best as then they are the same size, which helps.

Does your coop/run have clutter so if they are initially chased they could find cover? Here's a post with ideas for "clutter."

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

Is your coop large enough for 29 birds? 4 square feet per bird would mean if it's at least 116 sq feet, it should be good.

They are sapphire gems, prairie blue bell eggers

What breed of chickens are these?

Have they had a chance to see each other before today?

With our silkies, that would be borderline time to integrate - 5 mos is best as then they are the same size, which helps.

Does your coop/run have clutter so if they are initially chased they could find cover? Here's a post with ideas for "clutter."

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

Is your coop large enough for 29 birds? 4 square feet per bird would mean if it's at least 116 sq feet, it should be good.

They are sapphire gems, prairie blue bell eggers, and the third Bree I can’t remember.

 

[Mrs. K]

You basically are doubling your flock - space is going to be a big deal. 25 birds x 4 ft for the coop - is 100 square feet... 10 x 10, or something close. If you have an enclosed run, you need about 250 square feet - so 25 feet x 10 or something there about. Rules not carved in cement - but not a bad place to start.

A lot of clutter in the run can really help. Multiple feed bowls, hideouts, and roosts. In the coop, a lower roost (higher than the nests) but lower than the main roost can give young birds an option.

The thing is, the new birds are going to know that they don't belong there. I would let the original birds out of the coop/run, and lock them out, locking in the new birds. This will give them time to explore, without being chased for their lives. I would let them old birds in pretty close to roosting time, and I would expect maybe a little bluster, and things to be good.

Do it in a time frame, where you can be down early to the coop the next day, and watch for a while how it is going.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have 13 17 week old chicks, I think they are out of room in the coop they are in ( we have had 2 injured birds die) so the main flock consists of about 15 older hens and one rooster, is it too soon to mix them?

It is not a question of timing or age. My brooder is in the coop so the chicks grow up with the flock. At 5 weeks they are turned loose to mix with the flock. It works for me because of the techniques I use and how much room I have in the coop and outside. You cannot do that because yours are much older. I have no idea how much room you have or how it is set up.

If you can answer a few questions we might be able to come up with specific suggestions of how to proceed. How big, in feet or meters, is the young ones' coop? How big, in feet or meters, is the adults' coop? How big, in feet or meters, are any runs you have? How are the coops and runs tied together? Photos could be really helpful. Have they been able to see each other across a fence for a while or are they total strangers? Are all of your younger ones pullets or do you have some cockerels in with them?

In general, my pullets tend to form a separate flock and avoid the adults until they start to lay. During the day this means they need enough room to run away and stay away if the hens approach them. At night they do not sleep on the same roosts but find a safe place to sleep away from the hens. I don't care where they sleep as long as it is predator safe and not in my nests.

A lot of people do not have the kind of room they need to do this so we have developed certain techniques to help. Housing them across wire for a week or more can help reduce the stress. Having multiple feeding and watering stations can stop them from getting bullied off of the food and water by the big ones. Clutter can help. Clutter means ways for them to break line of sight by hiding under, behind, or over things.

People do this all of the time, often with less than optimal room. Often it works out great but sometimes it doesn't. Good luck!

 

[sariade]

A lot of people do not have the kind of room they need to do this so we have developed certain techniques to help. Housing them across wire for a week or more can help reduce the stress. Having multiple feeding and watering stations can stop them from getting bullied off of the food and water by the big ones. Clutter can help. Clutter means ways for them to break line of sight by hiding under, behind, or over things.

Agree with all of the above.

In addition to letting the main (mixed) flock see mama and chicks through a fence for a couple of weeks as I wanted to see if she would defend her babies even through the fence, I made sure everyone was well-fed and watered the day I opened the small yard. Everybody was full and dozy and took much less notice of the fact that there were three new chicks in the mix. Still have to keep an eye on the Leghorns (so anti-social, that lot) but mostly it went ok.