Two chicks of different ages...

[PokeyandScoop]

I have a three week old Brahma and a 1 week old Ameraucana together. They have grown very attached to each other, but the 3 week old keeps stepping on the 1 week old. It's probably fine but I can't stand to see her getting stepped on like that. I have tried separating them but they cry and cry for one another.

Another problem I'm having is I was using a heating pad for them when the weather was warm, but it has started getting colder so I set up the heating lamp and now the older one doesn't want to sleep which keeps the baby up.

Is there anything I can do about either of these things? I know having chicks of different ages isn't preferable, and I've never done it before. Perhaps I am being too protective and all I can do is just leave them alone and let them grow, but I just want them to be happy. I would just like to hear other people's thoughts.

 

[gryeyes]

I have 3 chicks about 2, 2 and a half weeks old and 1 chick that's a week old yesterday. Bought 'em from the feed store, wanted slightly older chicks because this is my first foray into chicken keeping, and I was worried about "infant mortality" - who knows, maybe I could kill 'em without trying?? Anyway, the Brahma bin only had the 2 day old chicks, so I had to get one younger than the others.

The other three bowl her over every time they take off on little runs around the brooder. She does tuck in under them for feeding, and they all sleep together, but I did have to adjust the distance of the heat lamp yesterday so they wouldn't all move to the farthest end away from it. The youngest chick wanted to sleep with them, and it was obvious she was colder. Now they all sleep closer to the lamp, with the youngest one the closest (but not directly under it, so I think I have it set okay).

I get disressed too, when the others knock her over. They jump on each other, chest bump, and all that Young Chicken Play stuff. She's so small! The others are really feathering out and she only has little wing tip feathers.

I, too, am hoping I didn't do too awful a thing by having chicks of two different ages together. My youngest is a Brahma, the others are Ameraucana, RIR and Plymouth Rock - Barred. I know she's going to be larger than her 'sisters' once she grows up, but right now she's SO tiny compared to them!