Too early for this roo?

[EricH]

Just curious the age at which you guys typically allow young chickens into the main flocks? I got some slow growing cornish from welp and also got 1 black broiler. The black broiler turned out to be a roo, and he grew almost as fast as the slow cornish cross. they are about 6 weeks old (hes about the size of some 8week+ chicks. I put him and a couple 6 week old chicks out today. the pullets just cried for a while, but this roo was gettin beat up by everyone he walked by, finally my flock of 4 dark cornish trapped him in a corner (didnt attack him too bad) but he got all freaked out and ran into the coop. i know all new chickens get the haze, but is this guy gonna get more than his fair share? mostly younger pullets - 2 full grown hen (1 grump EE... sometimes i want her in the crockpot, and 1 SLW nicknamed "big mama"), 3 14 week old white leghorns and some other chickens. i was gonna raise him to be my rooster til my little red sex link roo got big enough... i dunno... figured until he gets maimed, anything he gets will toughen him up to be a badass rooster... this is chicken mentality right? prove it or lose it?

 

[dawnchick]

Trouble is, once the hostility starts, they may keep it up forever. Best cure is prevention, raising them together. It does vary a lot from chicken to chicken. I have a mature flock plus three that were hatched and raised in the coop by one of the hens. They were never separated. The three keep to themselves and roost elsewhere in the coop, but they don't get beaten up, just chased or pecked a little. And the three are now full size.

I would try keeping them alongside each other with a fence between for a month or two, if possible. I've had no problem adding chickens when all were very young, say 3 weeks or less. Otherwise....

 

[Surehatch]

I would introduce them slowly and see how the flock reacts - if all goes well keep repeating the process