Mixing baby chicks

[mrscrowe711]

I have a two week old buff brahma and 3 nine week old barred cochin chicks. One of the barred cochin chicks is beating up on the buff brahma , and the other barred cochin are starting to beat up on her too. I keep them separated now, but what will the future hold for them when they are old enough for the coop?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have a two week old buff brahma and 3 nine week old barred cochin chicks. One of the barred cochin chicks is beating up on the buff brahma , and the other barred cochin are starting to beat up on her too. I keep them separated now, but what will the future hold for them when they are old enough for the coop?

Since no one has seen fit to respond to your question I will tell you what I think is likely to happen.

The pugnacious cochin will continue to boss the weaker chick until such time as the weaker chick can reverse the tables and become the boss and master of the cochin. At least that is what is likely to happen in the average backyard sized chicken run or walk.

The only other likely outcome is that one or the other (or both) of the two biddies will be called to that big brooder in the sky.

You are experiencing first hand the problems of peacefully integrating chicks of vastly differing ages and athletic abilities without the chicks in question being hatched and raised in the flock .

The hard truth is that a flock of chickens has little or no resemblance to the cast of Sesame Street and never will.

It would be much much better if there were a dozen or so other brahma chicks in your flock so that they could absorb some of the abuse that is currently being born by just one unlucky little chick.

 

[donrae]

Having a single one so much littler makes things a bit trickier.

Once they're of a closer size, things will be better. I'd say wait until the little is about 5ish weeks. At that point, put one of the older birds in with it. Wait a few days, then add another older bird. Rinse and repeat.

Or, get more littles to distract the attention of the bigs. Not that I'm an enabler or anything