Should I Mix the Flock or Separate?

[Lewis.jessie6]

So I am adding some chickens to my current flock of 7. I hatched some eggs and got some chicks from a guy that had a few breeds I was wanting. I'm making a drastic jump and adding 20 chicks. I have a large coop that will hold them all. It is about 600 square feet. My current chickens are about 4 months old and the new chicks are about 2 weeks and still in a brooder except for when I take them outside and I won't be mixing them until the chicks are older. Do you think it would be fine for me to put them all in the coop together since they are all about the same age and are growing up together or would it be best to separate them by breed? I'm not too concerned with breeding right now so cross breeding isn't an issue for me. The chicks I have are: Leghorns, Delawares, RIR, Orpingtons, Americaunas, Australorps, and Salmon Favorelles.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Mix the breeds. My flock is quite diverse. The only breeds to worry about housing separately are generally bantams, polish, silkies, and maybe some game breeds.

 

[Lewis.jessie6]

Mix the breeds. My flock is quite diverse. The only breeds to worry about housing separately are generally bantams, polish, silkies, and maybe some game breeds.

Thanks! I was trying to find some videos but I can't seem to find many diverse flocks like I'm wanting to do. What all do you have in your flock if you don't mind me asking?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thanks! I was trying to find some videos but I can't seem to find many diverse flocks like I'm wanting to do. What all do you have in your flock if you don't mind me asking?

You can follow my link in my signature, bottom of my post to see a bit of what I have. I have 2 separate flocks, a bantam and a mixed large breed with extra bantam roosters.

I like a few of these, and some of those, with a few favorite breeds. I personally like mostly dual purpose breeds, and heritage breeds, and don't like any of the hybrid sex links. I can't see having a flock of everyone the same.

Edited to add I keep around 80-100 chickens of various breeds.

 

[RWise]

My flock is mixed, and I had in new DNA yearly. It is what you want to do, where you want your flock to go,, I like colored eggs, many color,, some of my birds are rainbow eggers.

 

[aart]

I have a large coop that will hold them all. It is about 600 square feet.

The coop is that big....or the run??
Am a bit confused.... are all the 2 week old chicks now living together and you want to add them to the 7 four months olds?

If you have a large coop, section part off for brooding and integrate young.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

 

[Frazzemrat1]

I have a mixed flock, as you can see in my signature. The only ones who aren't integrated are on of the EEs, one of the Araucana and the Barnevelder.