What's The best way to introduce my 10 week old chicks to my grown chicken?

[UkuleleLady]

My chicken Precious has been alone for several months since her only companion died. I got four little chicks to keep her company and they will be 10 weeks old on Tuesday. What is the best way to introduce them to each other? They will all be living in the run and coop that Precious currently occupies. Should I just put them all in the run with her and see how it goes?

 

[azygous]

Yes.

You see, chickens have a thing about numbers. Not math, but amounts. They know when they're outnumbered, and it makes a difference in how they behave. Since the youngsters outnumber your hen, she will probably accept them pretty quickly.

However, there is a "ritual" that the home chicken will perform on new-comers. Each will likely receive a peck on the head. This is to establish that she is the head hen, and they'd best accept that. Unless you have an ambitious one in the bunch, they're likely to fall right into line, and not argue with her. But the first few minutes when they all meet is likely to be tense. Then it's over, and I predict everyone will act as if they've been a flock forever.

 

[UkuleleLady]

I'm on day 3 and the chicks are still terrified of Precious and she's still pecking them a little but not bad and not much. I've been letting Precious out of the run after she lays her egg and closing the door so that the chicks can run around and act normal and hopefully get to know Precious through the wire a little because all they do is hide when Precious is in the run with them and I don't want them being terrified all day but I'm not sure it's working. How long does it usually take for them to not be so afraid of her?

 

[Kadu]

Aww... night time works best for me... They will peck until they figure out the pecking order.

If I put in chickens together at night, they wake up in the morning and act like normal. I can only do that if I'm adding one chicken at a time. Doesn't work with more than one I've tried. =/
You just gotta squint and make a face as they peck and take it! lol oh unless one of them start bleeding... man that goes south fast

 

[junebuggena]

I have 6 barred rocks, 13 week old; 3 Easter Eggers, 11 weeks; and 3 Australorps, 11 weeks. They have all been in the same coop and run for a month now, and they still do a pecking order "ritual" every morning. Some days, I have 5 mini flocks; some days, they are one big happy flock. It depends on what kind of mood each bird is in.