Mixing 3 week old chicks with 1 week old chicks

[Caddo14]

I have had a bad batch of chicks which only 7 survived after finding what was wrong and medicating them. I bought some more to supplement my loses but they are 2 weeks apart. There is a big size difference and I dont want the older chicks killing the younger. I have been medicating the new chicks with Amprol 128 and they seem really health. What I am thinking is adding them to the same broader but using chicken wire to separate them. Wait a couple of days then remove the wire. Any ideas?

 

[azygous]

That's a plan a lot of us employ with different aged chicks. Try it and see how it goes. In my experience, the younger the chicks, the more accepting they are. You may be within that window of acceptance.

 

[Caddo14]

Thanks I will give it a try tonight. I will let you know

 

[Caddo14]

Instead of putting the chicken wire between them I place some of the older chicks in the younger chicks broader and some young ones in the older. I did this for about 15 minutes the I placed all of them in the biggest broader and let them hangout for another 30 minutes. They did great together. The older chicks huddled together in the corner and the younger chicks roamed. It was funny to see the older chicks were scared of the younger. Now they are together.

 

[Qtip1445]

How did that end up working in the long run? Did it help to even out the number of older and younger? I ask because I have one chick that is 2 weeks younger than the other three...not sure if I need to separate them or not. So far, the little gal is scaring the older ones and she gives an occasional peck. I'm mostly afraid that they will scare her away from the feed and water.

 

[WVfirefly]

I am going to try the together but separate approach. I have 10 that are 3 day old and 6 4 week olds. I'm going to put the younglings' box in the much larger box that the 4 week olds are in and let them listen and smell each other a few days. Then I'll ad some visibility but keep separation. Then after they are ignoring each other nicely I'll remove the separation.

 

[Julia/e]

I have 1 wk old chicks & 3 wk old chicks so have them in large cardbd box with screen between & 2 thermometers, one heat lamp. working fine. will put them all together soon & update you on outcome. the 3 favorells 3 wks old are on shavings & the 4 mixed 1 wk old on paper towels. Will have all on shavings, less smell, less cleaning (they are in my computer rm) with heat lamp adjusted so younger can get sufficient heat. Figure that since they have seen each other thru screen for about 5 days, it will work ok! Will let you know. ( for 1st few days, did keep babies in separate box, to keep temp close to 90)

 

[Brezzyyyybri]

Can I keep my 1 week old chick by its self for a couple days before introducing it to my 4 3 week old chicks!

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Can I keep my 1 week old chick by its self for a couple days before introducing it to my 4 3 week old chicks!

Yes, I've raised a chick by itself before when his sibling died shortly after hatching. I kept him in a brooder with a stuffed animal. However, if you can put the 1 week old chick in the same brooder as the 3 week old chicks and put a barrier up so they can see each other but not touch, it might help the reintroduction to go smoother.