What age can you introduce chicks to the adult chickens?

[chwoey]

We have 4 chicks, and 5 chickens. No roos.
What age can we introduce the chicks to the chickens?

 

[Ellie]

It has been my experience that the mama will protect them. I have let them roam with the others at 2 weeks of age with no problem. If the other hens come over, mama puffs up like a feathered beachball on legs and let's em have it!!

 

[Frieda]

Hello,
I am new to this forum & have a chick intregation question:
We put 3 newly hatched babies under our broody hen & voila! She happily adopted them. They are isolated from the rest of the flock & we are wondering when it is safe to intregrate them with the the others. I know this has generally been discussed alittle already here, but they have a mommy to protect them, so that is different then what I see already posted. Will she protect them from the others?
We did let them out a for a while earlier today without incident, just curiosity from the other chickens, but I would like them to all live together. We let our flock roam during the day & they come in at night, but at this time, the mother & chicks are penned in & have a separate coop & run. Our flock are buff orps & brahmas & the chicks are Americaunas. They are about a week old now.
Any help greatly appreciaited!
-Frieda

 

[consdrs]

Well in my limited experience when they are the same size and can defend themselves. if not your cute lovable hens will be the torment of your cute little fuzz butts. prepare for the feathers to fly, literally. I was shocked to see how many feathers could be plucked out in one peck.

Connie

 

[louis]

My experience is limited also but I've read 10 weeks.

I introduced 28 NHR and Cornish X to 10 RIR when the babies were only about 5 weeks. By introduce I mean they have contact in the day and more or less range together without problems. Feeding time is the only time I see the elders picking on the babies, so their morning and evening feedings take place in different sectioned off areas of my coop. I try feeding them together about once a week and it's better now (babies are 8 weeks) but there's still a bit of pecking so I'm keeping up with the separate feeding routine for now.

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

Mine was in the coop with my adult chickens since 3 weeks old but in a caged area. So that way they slowly get introduced. Then at about 5 weeks, I let them out with the adult chickens. Mine are free range and only go in the coop to lay or sleep. I've never had any problem, just when a chick tried to be the boss of the adult chicken. One peck and the chick was gone. My hens and rooster, have never really been mean to each other and they were all different ages. Maybe it's because they have alot of places to run to, to get away.

 

[louis]

By the way, I think not having roos won't make much difference. In my flock the roos hardly ever bother the babies but the pullets are brutal!

 

[Judy]

Good website on this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock

 

[speckledhen]

Generally, after 12 weeks old, is when I introduce mine. The roosters are usually the least of your problems with chicks. Then hens are the ones who go after the newbies with a vengeance.

 

[dunnowhat2use]

Maybe I can offer some help. Trying this for the first time, seems to be working great. When my chicks were about 8 weeks old I build them a new pen and a dog house for shelter attached to my established coop.

A couple days ago I put a fence in my already established coop just big enough for a small run for the chicks and I propped the bottom of their fence up so they could slip through.

Now today I rooted the fence that made up their run, and viol! Now if the hens harass the chicks too much they just run back into their old coupe.

So far so good, my roo is actually blocking the other hens from getting at the newbies, and the chicks are popping in and out of their old pen with minimum issue.

I have 1 roo 2 hens and 4 pullets. The queen in still in sitting on her nest we will see what happens later, but so far so good. Now hopefully the pullets will join my flock in the next day or 2.

Good luck, it's been scary but fun devising a plan