What age to mix them

[first time farmer]

How old should my new chicks be when I put them in the main coop?

 

[debilorrah]

You need to a whole process of integration. This is how we have done ours:

In the house in the brooder with heat for 8 weeks
8-10 weeks in a seperated but visible area in the hen house, again with heat.
10-12 weeks Open the small door between the brooder in the hen house and watch carefully how the others act and how the chicks act.

Depending on the above you may have to go 14-16 weeks with the small door open observing, but after that we just let them find their order and so far this has worked out great for us with two seperate batches of babies.

 

[NancyDz]

Deb in CA you still gave heat in the 8-10 week time frame? As soon as mine were feathered, they went out in the pool room ( no heat) for a couple weeks, then out in a separate area next to the coop during the day and then on a covered porch at night for a week or so, then in the coop. from then on. So no heat for mine between 6-8 weeks as long as fully feathered.

Nancy

 

[first time farmer]

Quote:
I like your idea I built a run for my old coop(mum made me take down the old one because it got kinda run down once i built my new one) so i will put them in there once the are fully feathered than i will put em in the coop.