Oh boy, chicken math strikes again

[Youngmomof3]

Hello! I began with chickens last year. We have 11 very healthy laying hens. LOVE them. We have 6 Isa Browns and 5 Barred Rocks. Fast forward to this year. I decided to add a few because I would really love some Easter Eggers. So, I added 4 Easter Eggers, 2 white leghorns, and 2 black austrolorps. Love them to pieces and they are doing well. However, I left the store today (6 days later) with 2 New Hampshire Reds. UGH! I have to stop. LOL. So thankful my husband is patient. The guy at the feed store assured me the two new little ones will be fine with the other 8 I added. They are only 6 days apart. They seem to be getting along fine.

So, now that you have my background, I can get to my question. What do I need to do in order to add the new babies to our current flock? I know they need to be much larger. They are now inside the barn under the light. What age can they go out? Do they need to be in a side by side coop for awhile? My husband is going to add on so I'm thinking about suggesting a door that can be opened and closed to keep them separate if needed. Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions from anyone who has successfully done this? I really would like them all together someday because I love seeing the different varieties together. Thanks much for reading my long, rambling story.

 

[Den in Penn]

The easiest way to integrate new chick is to have the grow up near the flock. They can go out as soon as they can stand the ambient temperature, that is usually when they are fully feathered at six weeks. I let mine free range at the same time as the adults between eight and ten weeks, while allowing them separate sleeping quarters up until the chicks are at POL, Point Of Lay. At that age age having free ranged together the only thing left is the nightly squabling about who roosts where, Putting them on the same coop or removing the barriers is all that is left to do.

 

[Feathers n Fur]

Youngmomof3 - I'm right with ya! Last May I got 8 chicks (returned one to the farm since she turned out to be a roo and I can't have roos). This year I just wanted 3 more but ended up leaving the farm with 5 then went back a week later and got two more ameraucanas - LOL. Now I have 7 ouside and 7 in the basement. The babies are between 4 and 6wks old (ameracuanas are 6 wks, 1 silver laced wyandotte and 1 barred rock are 5wks and 3 marans are 4 wks old). I plan to move them to a large dog crate in the coop sectioned off with chicken wire partition and heat lamp for 2 weeks for the "look no touch" phase then I will cross my fingers and remove the partition and see what happens. Too much fighting and I will have to separate until they are a little older but I'm hoping all will be fine. I wish the same for you. During integration the young ones will be between 6 and 8 wks old. Not sure if I should hold out till they are older though.