What age is best when introducing hand reared chicks to older flock.

[JustBabyMargo]

It's not about age, it has more to do with what size are the littles?

Age does matter! It depends on whether they are around mating age or not. Roosters can put young pullets into shock if they are mated too early.

 

[Lizzy733]

It sounds like it may be a bit too soon to fully integrate them, but you can always start see but don't touch integration if they are off their heat source.

The most important things for integration are ample space and resources. Double up on feeders and waterers, add perches, hay bales, treats and dust baths to keep the main group preoccupied. Make your run an obstacle course! Have areas where the chicks can flee that breaks line of sight but doesn't leave them cornered.

Also, give the chicks time in the run without the big birds to get used to the area.

See but don't touch should be in a high-traffic area where they'll get a lit if interaction with the flock. A permanent isolation pen would come in handy for when you have an injured bird, need to integrate, separate your roo or a bully. I plan on adding a corral to my pen that can be set up for isolation as needed, but still be opened up when not. I also like to tether off and reveg parts if my run in the spring/summer and this will give me a dedicated space for that

Be extra careful at roost time too - if you do everything right, they may still bully newcomers off the perches at night.

 

[bayareapilot]

Your baby hens (which are considered "pullets" until they are a year old) will not be ready for a rooster until they are ready to start laying eggs, at about 4 to 6 months of age or possibly even older. You need to keep the rooster away from them until then, as he could hurt them. They are just babies.

I don't know about part of this..... my understanding AND the experience I had, is that the rooster will ignore the pullets until they begin to get sexually mature. The latter mirrored the experience I had when introducing my (then) pullet Golden Comets to the flock with a rooster.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I don't know about part of this..... my understanding AND the experience I had, is that the rooster will ignore the pullets until they begin to get sexually mature. The latter mirrored the experience I had when introducing my (then) pullet Golden Comets to the flock with a rooster.

Everybody has their own experiences. In my case, the rooster began jumping on my pullets when they were right around 4 months of age, which really freaked them out. The pullets at that time were in with hens 2 and 3 years old and had been since about 8 weeks old. The pullets then actively began avoiding him, not wanting to go into the coop, running from him, etc. So I separated him and put him in a smaller pen with the cockerels for a couple of months. When the pullets began laying he flew over the fence and made himself known to the pullets, who then accepted him with no trauma.

 

[kurby22]

Everybody has their own experiences. In my case, the rooster began jumping on my pullets when they were right around 4 months of age, which really freaked them out. The pullets at that time were in with hens 2 and 3 years old and had been since about 8 weeks old. The pullets then actively began avoiding him, not wanting to go into the coop, running from him, etc. So I separated him and put him in a smaller pen with the cockerels for a couple of months. When the pullets began laying he flew over the fence and made himself known to the pullets, who then accepted him with no trauma.

This has been my experience too, so it likely depends on the rooster and the pullets you have. My silkies freak OUT and hide and it's rather traumatic even if the interaction was super mellow. Silkies are obviously a unique breed, but just proof it is sort of chicken specific. I think use your judgement and supervise the interactions a bunch before you trust the roo around your young ladies.