Reintroducing separated chicks back into the brood

[Finelyfound]

I couldn't find any threads on this subject.
I have two chicks that I brought up to the house to treat pasty butt and one of them was small and not thriving. Figured out the small one was the only chick out of 28 that hadn't figured out the Brite tap. They have been in the house under a heat lamp for 4 days now and the pasty butt is cleared up. The small chick is still small, but healthy and active. The chicks in the house are not happy, they seem frightened and I would like to put them back with the remaining 21 chicks.
I plan to put the small fountain watered in the brooder for the small chick until I am sure it is drinking from the Brite tap.
I don't want to lose any more chicks to "newbie learning curve" so my question is
What do I need to be aware of or do when putting these two chicks back into the brooder with the rest? They are all 10 days old.
Thank you,
Jocelyn

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

It is a great idea to have 2 waterers and go ahead and have 2 waters when bringing new chicks back into the flock. This cuts down on stress and bullying. Most likely you can just bring them back to the flock and they will easily integrate back in. If you see problems reseparate and if possible allow them to see each other but not touch for a few days and then try again.

 

[azygous]

It should go okay. They haven't been gone from the gang that long.

The "drama", if there is any, will take place in the first few minutes. Just keep an eye on the ritual of pecking the newcomers to welcome them back into the fold. It should be one or two pecks, and then everyone should go back to minding their own important bidness.

If the small one is significantly smaller, there's a small chance it could be singled out due to its difference, but if it's healthy and eating well, it will be able to handle it.

Make sure you have a square foot of usable brooder space for each chick so overcrowding doesn't complicate matters.

 

[Finelyfound]

Thank you. I was planning to put them back tomorrow and watch them for a while. Right now I have 21 10 day old chicks in a 3x4 brooder that is in my 10x12 coop. I was a planning to expand it buy a couple of feet this weekend, I don't trust them not to get lost in a much larger area.