VERY Upsetting! Graphic Pic please help!!!!

[urbanchicks76]

ok so is it ok for us to introduce 2 new baby chicks to 3 five week old chicks? I was just about getting ready to put the five weeks old one out in the coop this weekend. If I got 2 new ones how do I work this out? Can I move my 5 week old ones then the new ones in 5-7 weeks? I am so worried about this!

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
You'll be able to introduce the new chicks to the older chicks when they can both be in the same temperatures. Remember that baby chicks start out in the brooder at 95 degrees the first week, 90/85 the second week, 85/80 the third, 80/75 the fourth, etc. So when they're ready to be in outdoor temperatures appropriate to their age, they can be introduced to the older chickens. 5-7 weeks sounds right to me unless you live someplace cold (or that gets cold at night).

I should also mention that another reason to introduce them in pairs (at least) is that when the new pecking order is established, the actual bullying can be diffused a little bit among the newbies, so one doesn't take the brunt of the rough-guy stuff.

I understand the worry though. I have 9 month old chickens in our coop and then 3, 4 month old chickens, and I'm having trouble integrating the 4 month olds. While it's still too soon to tell for sure, I think at least one of the 4 month olds is a rooster, so the established rooster (Petunia) has been kind of mean to them when I have introduced them. It's stressing me out.