problems with chick to chick introduction

[rehsanipoor]

I'm hoping someone can help us figure out how to handle our current situation. We have 3 (2 dark brahma and 1 easter egger) chicks that are a little over 3 weeks. Today we brought home 6 new chicks (4 cuckoo marans and 2 black laced wyandots). We introduced them today. They are in a very roomy brooder inside our home. Everything was going peachy. One of our brahma's is smaller than other and likes to be under the heat plate which I had lowered a lot for the new gals. After a few hours going smoothly the smaller brahma ("Daisy") began showing aggression towards the newbies. Pretty sure she felt crowded and didn't like sharing the heater. Eventually she grabbed on of the littles and flipped it onto it's back. I quickly removed her and we put a screen down the middle of the brooder with the bigger girls and little girls separated.

On the big girl side I made a "fake" heating plate out of scrap wood and put a heating pad under it which I think is enough heat for Daisy. She is currently not even on the heating pad and seems content. I left the "real" heat plate on the newbie side. Now I'm wondering how long I keep this arrangement and how I go about testing Daisy out with the new girls. I'm hoping she comes to like her new heated set up and the little girls will give her space.

Last bit of info: The two other older chicks did great with the new ones. Is it okay to separate only Daisy?

I'd love to get some thoughts and advice. Sorry for rambling!

 

[SourRoses]

What @rosemarythyme said
This year I have a lot of small batches of chicks coming out of the incubators, so we're often integrating different ages. I find it goes best if the youngest are really confident in this life stuff before mixing them with chicks older than a week.

I also take advantage of situations that make older birds less confident. Changing coops or moving from brooder to coop is the perfect time. Adding more together is easier than just a few. If I have to sort birds for sale / keepers, right after the stress and losing friends, and just before dark, is a good time to plop some more birds in. They see each other as flock mates because they've clung together through (mild) adversity. It's the silver lining to an otherwise sad task.

Right now, our main grow-out coop has three 4-week-olds, eight 6-week-olds, and two 4-month-olds (1 was sick and another was kept back as her sweet friend). It's really peaceful except that when the oldest girls want to eat, the babies aren't allowed. When the roost is too full (my limiting factor rather than sq ft), I'll move the biggest in a bunch to the big flock coop, and probably leave the smallest to integrate the next batch of chicks.

 

[Sally PB]

You're doing exactly what I'd do. Give Daisy a day or so of being alone. You could also sprinkle some of their feed along both sides of the screen; then Daisy has to eat near the others, including the new chicks.

Give her another chance in a day or so, see if she's acclimated.

I'm hoping others will chime in in more ideas.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would separate all the older ones from the younger for a few days simply due to size difference, and because very young chicks are still unsteady on their feet. After a few days or maybe a week the younger ones should be steady enough so they're less likely to get crushed or trampled.

 

[rosemarythyme]

When they are big enough I plan to move them out to the coop we are currently constructing. My bigger girls will be ready before my new ones. There's a 3 wk difference. I'd rather not delay the move as I'd like to reclaim my home! How would you manage this? Should I put them all out during the day and move the little ones in at night? I'm hoping temps will be pretty warm during the day but cooler at night. I could also put the chick heater plate out in the coop.

How old will they be (both older and younger groups) at that point, you reckon? I don't know what the ETA is on your coop.

If let's say it's 3 weeks from now, what would your average temperatures be at that point?

Unless the coop is pretty much already done, I'm guessing you can move both groups out simultaneously, especially since you mention you can run a heat plate out.

 

[rehsanipoor]

Yes, so I was thinking in about 3 weeks. We should have the coop ready by then. Google says avg. temps where I am in June are 60 - 82. The bigger girls will be over 6 weeks and younger a little over 3.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes, so I was thinking in about 3 weeks. We should have the coop ready by then. Google says avg. temps where I am are in June are 60 - 82. The bigger girls will be over 6 weeks and younger a little over 3.

If the temps hold true, I think both groups can go out at the same time. The size difference shouldn't be an issue, and the younger ones should be okay at those temps. If you want you can offer them the option of a heat plate but they may not use it at all.

 

[SourRoses]

Yes, so I was thinking in about 3 weeks. We should have the coop ready by then. Google says avg. temps where I am in June are 60 - 82. The bigger girls will be over 6 weeks and younger a little over 3.

Yes, it should work totally fine to move the chicks out together as soon as the coop is secure, I'd move them at the same time right before dark.
Beware that 6 weeks, for many breeds, will often be too old for brooder space... one day you walk up to them and they've exploded like popcorn in the microwave, seemingly overnight, and everything is too small. Then the pressure is really on to get done.
So, if you can accelerate your timeline, perhaps by focusing only on the security of the coop, not the run or nest boxes, that might help you have less of a challenge when the popcorn day comes.
I would put out the heat plate with the chicks. If you find after a few days, they don't need it you can just not turn it on. But if they need it and you have to set it up late at night that can be a pain.
With the heat available you don't have to worry about how old the younger chicks are when you move them out, as long as the coop is totally secure against predators (including rats which can fit through any opening wide enough for their heads).

 

[rehsanipoor]

Right now I have the three big girls together. Should I put the two that are doing well with the chicks back on the Little's side leaving Daisy alone on her side?

 

[rehsanipoor]

Just want to figure out if it's okay to isolate one chick on her own if she's the only one being aggressive.