when should i introduce younger chicks to my older girls?

[jeremy]

i've got 8, 14 week old deleware pullets, and 8, 6 week old silver laced wyandotte chicks. about a week and a half ago we finished the coop (finally) and got all the girls inside.

my question is- when should i fully introduce the silver laced to the older girls? there's obviously a difference in size, the wyndottes might be about 1/2 the size of the delewares. i've got the babies sectioned off in the big coop now. i'm just afraid of letting them all loose together. i don't want the babies to get trampled, or pecked to death.

does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[momma's chickens]

Can they see each other now while they are sectioned off. I always introduce them to each other for a couple of days with chicken wire seperating them so they get used to each other. The rule of thumb is when they are the same size they can be together.

I am no expert, so proceed with caution, but I think with you observing them several times a day after they get used to the idea of seeing each other through the chicken wire, they can be put together. You have equal numbers of older and younger so that helps. They may pick on one or two so really watch them.

Good luck!

 

[jeremy]

i just threw some boards and chicken wire up in a corner for the babies, so they're totally visible to the others. a few of my older girls actually seem curious and interested; spending a lot of time around the silver laced.

that's part of my worry. are they just curious to meet new chicken friends? or are they trying to establish a new pecking order by beating up on the other girls.

they've been together for about a week or so now.

 

[momma's chickens]

If you are able to watch them I would introduce them slowly. Maybe for an hour or two each evening. Mine were curious but also didn't want to share the feed. I ended up putting an extra bowl of chicken food in there for them.

 

[catfish]

I had 11 (originally 17 dumb dog) that was about 6 weeks to 8 weeks old, in the run.
I bought a broody and 7 more from same lady, and just added them the flock. The older chicks never gave them a second look. But they did take the broody hen serious when she got close.

It was funny to watch the 5 day old roos try to bump chests with the older roos. Then they'd try to peck at them, and one quick peck by the older birds and youngsters went running.

Seriously I've learned by watching my birds they are very subserviant to the older and larger birds.

Maybe others has had them fight and cause problems. I had that issue once. But it was one of chicks of the same age. I culled him and I have a roo with a blind eye from it.