Mixing birds of different ages: the intro

[Hideaway Farm]

I posted this in the Meaties forum but didn't get any replies so here I am...

I have a batch of 21Cornish X broilers that are 4 weeks old and have been outside in a coop and run system for two weeks now. I have another batch of 26 broilers that are two weeks old and it is time to move them outside the brooder to the same system. It never occurred to me when I planned it this way that the older birds might harass or even injure the younger ones.

Should I be worried?

 

[gallusdomesticus]

The pecking order appears to be based no so much on age as size and aggressive temprement. If your birds are all approximately the same size, I would just expect normal pecks back and forth until the new order is established.

 

[Hideaway Farm]

Thank you.

I went ahead and moved the little guys in today as their brooder was needing a clean and moving them was easier than cleaning it, lol. It was their time anyway.

It went just fine. The only interest by the older ones was whenever a group of the younger ones would cluster together looking rather stunned at their new surroundings, an older one would come running over thinking they had found a good source of eats. They soon figured out the little guys didn't know what they were doing, lol.

This evening they all went into the brooder together and my final check for the night had them all snuggled up together as if they had known each other forever.

I guess they are just too young to worry about pecking order. It's good to know this is doable!