mixing new hatchling with 2 week old chicks....

[stefknits]

Can we mix our new chicks with some that hatched a couple of weeks ago?
They have the same parents, so I don't think there should be any disease issues. I'm wondering if the big kids will pick on the little ones?

Thanks!!
Stephanie

 

[chickenannie]

If you're going to do it, I would do it as early as possible, before the older chicks get a pecking order going. When they're little, they're just kind of group oriented.

I put 2 newborns in with chicks that were about 1 week old and they are fine, but sometimes they get pushed around because they're smaller. They need more warmth too so sometimes they hang out alone under the brooder light while the others hang out elsewhere. Mainly it's the size problem -- when the big ones run around its too easy to knock over the little ones. Anyways, my little ones seem to "love" being with the big guys even if they do fall over occassionally.

 

[Poppycock]

We put 2 3 day olds with 8 14-day olds, but it was arranged so that the little ones could get away from the big ones if they needed to. The older ones were in a huge watermelon box. I put a wire dog crate inside the watermelon box with the intent that the 2 sets of chicks could get used to each other by seeing and hearing each other. I didn't realize the little ones could squeeze through the wires, and in the morning, they were snuggling with their older "sisters" out in the watermelon box. The older ones didn't seem to bother them, but I kept extra food and water in the dog crate anyway so the little ones could "escape" back into the crate and eat in peace and get away from the older ones if they felt they needed it. Most of the time they hung out with the big girls, but I felt better about having a place they could go, especially for the first week. After that, they got too big to squeeze back through the wires, so I just took the wire crate out and they've been fine ever since.

 

[poulet]

I mixed two week olds and new hatches , but left the new ones a couple of day's to find thier feet before I put them in, they were fine