Should I separate?

[teriz1091]

I have 4 chicks that are 2-3 weeks old - 2 white leghorns, a Golden Sebright bantam & a Silver Duckwing Old English game bantam.
The bantams are pets. My daughter adores her other two & carries them around and handles them daily. Our older Sebright is flighty but she is still able to handle him. We got the Leghorns only because of TSC’s 4 bird minimum. Our egg layers aren’t pets in that we don’t really handle them, so I don’t really mind if the Leghorns aren’t crazy friendly.
However, the babies are sharing a brooder. When I had them in the small brooder in the house, the bantams were friendly. The Sebright is more skittish, but the Old English was very calm and enjoyed being held and talked to. I handled the Leghorns daily as well.
I recently moved them to a larger brooder outside and left them be for a day to acclimate. Now the Leghorns act like I’m surely there to kill them, which has the bantams upset as well. My formerly calm & friendly bantie runs away now. It’s chaos when I go to take care of them.

My question is, would it be of any benefit to separate the Leghorns & bantams to raise them in pairs? My thought process is that maybe without the influence of the crazy Leghorns, the banties will settle back down & be tame pets for my 4yr old, as our other banties are.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

This kinda just happens when you move them outside. I can have the sweetest, cuddliest chick/duckling, even in a group of not so social butterflies, and as soon as they move outside, they turn skittish and shy. I don’t think the leghorns are really affecting the others as leghorns are naturally flighty and nervous. I suggest that if you want them to remain super friendly, you’ll have to spend a lot of A LOT OF time with them. I think it’s because they’re slowly losing their imprint as they grow up. Also just a note- I’m jealous of your sebrights attitude. My silver sebright was our little sweet my just sitting in our hands like a wild bird. We named him Tiny Tim and he was so cute...until he grew up and follows me around trying to attack me lol. (This isn’t common in the breed don’t worry, it’s just that he’s my smallest rooster so he has a case of small bird syndrome).

 

[teriz1091]

This kinda just happens when you move them outside. I can have the sweetest, cuddliest chick/duckling, even in a group of not so social butterflies, and as soon as they move outside, they turn skittish and shy. I don’t think the leghorns are really affecting the others as leghorns are naturally flighty and nervous. I suggest that if you want them to remain super friendly, you’ll have to spend a lot of A LOT OF time with them. I think it’s because they’re slowly losing their imprint as they grow up. Also just a note- I’m jealous of your sebrights attitude. My silver sebright was our little sweet my just sitting in our hands like a wild bird. We named him Tiny Tim and he was so cute...until he grew up and follows me around trying to attack me lol. (This isn’t common in the breed don’t worry, it’s just that he’s my smallest rooster so he has a case of small bird syndrome).

Lol! Lucky, our older Sebright is flighty for sure, but usually she can catch him daily & she carries him around for a bit. Our Cochin bantam, Cocoa, is the friendliest little thing. She swings with her, sits in her lawn chair & watches the other birds with her. I’m hoping the new bantam babies will be friendly as well.