What age to intergrade chickens with their chicks???

[Mom2Cool]

Hi all ok so I've 2 hens with 3 chicks each... one is in the regular coop with her 3 chicks that has a cornered off section. I let her out in the am with the other chickens & they all seem to free range together jus fine. The chicks on occassion have gotten past the barrier in the morning before I'd let them out & so now I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to just take the barrier away? And then I have a 2nd hen with 3 chicks who I've got in a big rabbit coop that's on the inside of the same enclouse used by the other chickens when they're penned in. So when I let that hen out into the enclosed area it's when the other chickens are out free ranging & they cannot get in..... I feel a little bad for her at this point because she'd kind of stuck in the penned area & the other mom has had her chicks all over the yard free ranging everything!! In some ways I'm a bit more concerned with the mom going at it than I am the rest of the flock because they all seemed to be fine with the 3 chicks in the same coop as them. Anyway I was just curius as to how old the chicks could be before I start to allow them to just all roam together??? will the little chicks know they're own mom to go back to the right one??? Frankly *I* cannot tell the differnce either so it would be lost on me to "put them back"...

 

[Sillystunt]

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

this will help!

 

[Mom2Cool]

thanks sillystunt

 

[Mom2Cool]

ok I don't really see anything there about introducing hens with their chicks back into the flock... I'm not introducing new chickens as in bringing in new &/or there isn't a need to quarentee. the concern is of the 2 hens with the chicks trying to protect their own in the yard & fighting. I did notice the chicks that were new & introduced to the flock & slipped in at night etc. but the chicks with the hen in the enclosure would have to be moved in with her chicks I imagine & they would notice that & again she'd be defending chicks I think.... When & how do people reintroduce their hens with chicks to the rest of the flock?