New to chickens - age differences in brooding.

[SDOH]

Hello, I preface this post with the disclaimer that while I have had parrots, I am new to chickens. I received my first batch of 5 chicks on Wednesday, the 31st of May and all seems ok (after I stopped freaking out about how tiny and delicate that they are...imagine cleaning their rumps without actually holding them...). I planned to get 4 more but was unable to order them due to availability. I placed a second order of 4 for a hatch date of June 4th which means that I will have one group that are 2 weeks and a second that are day old. I plan to keep them separated using a divider w/hardware cloth in the 3x6 ft brooder that we made. My question for this group is when might be an appropriate time to house them together without a divider? Please advise.

 

[NatJ]

I would keep them separated for at least two days. That lets the new ones eat & drink, sleep, and generally recover from their journey.

At that point, if the new ones are running around and generally seem healthy and active, I would probably try combining them. There's a good chance it will work. If it does not go well, let them have another few days of being separated but able to see each other, and try again.

For combining them, you could do it all at once, or you could move two big chicks in with the little chicks, then wait a day or two before you put the other big chicks with the little ones. Sometimes a gradual mixing is better, sometimes it is not needed so there's no point in bothering with it.

 

[SDOH]

I would keep them separated for at least two days. That lets the new ones eat & drink, sleep, and generally recover from their journey.

At that point, if the new ones are running around and generally seem healthy and active, I would probably try combining them. There's a good chance it will work. If it does not go well, let them have another few days of being separated but able to see each other, and try again.

For combining them, you could do it all at once, or you could move two big chicks in with the little chicks, then wait a day or two before you put the other big chicks with the little ones. Sometimes a gradual mixing is better, sometimes it is not needed so there's no point in bothering with it.

Thank you for this information. I would hate for anything to happen due to my lack of knowledge. Do you think it would be unwise to separate them for a week or more? They will all be in a 3x6 brooder and so I think there is enough space to keep them separate for a bit. thoughts? Also, the ones I have now are in a Rentacoop Big Red Barn brooder and they will all go to the 3x6 (with divider) when the new chicks come. I thought this might help level the playing field a bit, no?

 

[NatJ]

Thank you for this information. I would hate for anything to happen due to my lack of knowledge. Do you think it would be unwise to separate them for a week or more? They will all be in a 3x6 brooder and so I think there is enough space to keep them separate for a bit. thoughts? Also, the ones I have now are in a Rentacoop Big Red Barn brooder and they will all go to the 3x6 (with divider) when the new chicks come. I thought this might help level the playing field a bit, no?

In general, the sooner you combine them, the less trouble you will have. That's because of the age of the older ones: as they get older, problems become more likely.

But you have to balance that with the ablities of the young ones: they need to be able to run around quickly, and move if a bigger chick steps on them. That's why I suggested just a few days before you try to combine them. A week might also be fine, but I don't think the extra time will give any real benefits either.

Yes, it can help to put them in a place that is new to both groups, although with chicks this young I don't expect it to be a big deal either way.

 

[SDOH]

In general, the sooner you combine them, the less trouble you will have. That's because of the age of the older ones: as they get older, problems become more likely.

But you have to balance that with the ablities of the young ones: they need to be able to run around quickly, and move if a bigger chick steps on them. That's why I suggested just a few days before you try to combine them. A week might also be fine, but I don't think the extra time will give any real benefits either.

Yes, it can help to put them in a place that is new to both groups, although with chicks this young I don't expect it to be a big deal either way.