Mixing Older chickens with chicks

[DucklingLover232]

Our chicks are 10 and nine weeks old they're still in our garage we've tried a whole bunch of ways to get our older chickens nice to our younger chicks and are chicken at the top of the pecking order (jellybean) just won't have it. the chicks are to big and we NEED to get them out of our garage. Our chicks are about half the size of our chickens (except for my duckling who is bigger than every animal we have yet she's the youngest) I don't have the heart to just throw them all in they're and have them all just pecked and bullied by jellybean. Any other ideas?

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

Could you build a smaller coop for them to stay in? Or maybe section off a section of the hens coop for the youngsters? Just make sure what ever you do, that it's predator proof.

 

[jsgravel]

Following because I have a similar question. I currently have six week old chicks out in a coop already and doing fine - no outside access yet because it's still under construction because of course I overplan and overbuild everything. I ordered more and they will be here third week of June, which will make them a full 12 weeks younger than my current flock. I plan on trying to introduce them at two months but think I'll have to wait until three months? I've been told to sneak them onto the roosts at night... Can I keep them in a brooder (stock water trough) for that long? I moved out my flock early because they were getting way, way too crowded - 110 gal trough. I can split the next group into two tanks if I have to but then I thought, will I have to then deal with two groups of younger chicks* squabbling while introducing them into the coop with older chicks?? Not to mention buying extras of everything and potentially having a room issue with so many troughs all over my horse barn (tack room is just not going to work, so the three-sided wash rack it will have to be.

*I can separate the younger chicks into "keeping" and "not keeping" groups to eliminate this potential issue, since I over-ordered after someone told me I had a crapton of cockrels in my current flock, and now I think I don't, so I have way too many to keep both groups and will have to sell some of them once they are a little older.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Our chicks are 10 and nine weeks old they're still in our garage we've tried a whole bunch of ways to get our older chickens nice to our younger chicks and are chicken at the top of the pecking order (jellybean) just won't have it. the chicks are to big and we NEED to get them out of our garage. Our chicks are about half the size of our chickens (except for my duckling who is bigger than every animal we have yet she's the youngest) I don't have the heart to just throw them all in they're and have them all just pecked and bullied by jellybean. Any other ideas?

How did you try to introduce them in the first place? Integration is best done slowly, over weeks - first is to let them all see each other without being able to reach each other - see but don't touch. So you'll need to set off a space in your coop or run where the chicks are safe but adults cannot get into. After 1-2 weeks of this (time depends on how long it takes for the adults to lose a bit of interest), you can try letting them mingle with supervision.

Photos of your set up would also help. Ideally you want lots of clutter for chicks to hide behind, under, etc. as well as multiple feed stations spread out to prevent adults from guarding food.

Bullying and chasing is normal and expected, however do not let the bullying get to to the point of injury. If that happens, have the chicks isolated a little longer, or add more clutter, or more feeders. Unfortunately they're now way too big for a panic door set up.

 

[AngieDawn]

I was reading on here that sometimes you can lock up the bully chicken for a couple of days in a dog crate or something in the coop. Then by the time you let her out she will be so happy to be out that she won’t care about the chicks.

I’ve kept that in mind because I have a hen with a strong personality. I have not tried this method because I am trying the slow integration now first.