need help on what to do with my new chicks

[mr rhode islandred]

I have a grown broody hen and 4 pullets around 2 months in age. i also have 30 4 week old and 8 week old chicks in a brooder. if i place a few of the older chicks that i have in the brooder with the hen and 4 pullets will they kill the babys if so whats a solution

 

[SueT]

Welcome to BYC! It probably won't go well at all. Make a temporary see-no-touch set up and monitor reactions. It may take a couple weeks or longer before you can integrate them.

 

[Mrs. K]

Actually if you have some hideouts, where as chicks can get away from the bigger birds, a one way gate that smaller birds can get through, I think it might go much better than just adding a few chicks.

By adding 30 head of chicks to just 5 established birds, well it really spreads the pecking out. Pecking is a lot of work, and with 30 to chase, well that is exhausting.

A lot depends on your set up, and the space you have available. Let us see some pictures.

Mrs K

 

[Spartan22]

If you decide to put them in the coop make sure they have partitions that they can see each other but not touch for few weeks specially the 4 wk olds. The older ones might hurt the smaller if you mixed them up too soon without escape routes.

I have chicks 2 wks and older integrated with the rest of the flock but they were raise by broody hens and they also have panic rooms to hide if needed.

 

[Aceoky]

"I" would add them after dark on the roosts after doing the "see no touch" integration. Seems to "me" they don't seem to mind nearly as much when they wake up together compared to hey new meat in here...

 

[aart]

I have a grown broody hen and 4 pullets around 2 months in age. i also have 30 4 week old and 8 week old chicks in a brooder. if i place a few of the older chicks that i have in the brooder with the hen and 4 pullets will they kill the babys if so whats a solution

Welcome to BYC!

Your post is rather confusing.
A broody hen with 4 two month old chick in a brooder?
How big is this brooder, in feet by feet?

"30 4 week old and 8 week old chicks in a brooder"
All in the same space or separated by wire?
How big is this brooder, in feet by feet?

Do you have a coop and run that is large enough to fit them all?
Again, how big in feet by feet?
Dimensions, and pics, would be of immense help here.

 

[aldarita]

I have a grown broody hen and 4 pullets around 2 months in age. i also have 30 4 week old and 8 week old chicks in a brooder. if i place a few of the older chicks that i have in the brooder with the hen and 4 pullets will they kill the babys if so whats a solution

First of all let me congratulate you for making the effort to learn how to do an integration, some people just do what they think would work, ending up in big disasters. You need to keep your two groups separated but in the same place so they can see each other without being able to touch and make any damage. I am guessing that your chicks are already together (30 of them but two different ages). Keep them like that for several days (meaning probably 2 or 3 weeks). Then you can start letting them mingle but be prepared for some aggression, if it becomes too much, you need to intervene and separate. When you let them mingle, they need to have lots of room and places to hide, also place multiple feeders and waterers all around (not close to each other) so there won't be competition. These are in a nutshell the rules of integration. You can read in BYC more about it and learn more specifics to give you a clearer idea of how to go about it. Good luck and lots of patience.

 

[mr rhode islandred]

thanks for replies. Im gonna put the little chicks in a dog cage inside my coop to integrate them