When to combine chicks with adult hens

[aart]

Anyway to prevent this. Plus could this be severe?

There will always be some pecking and chasing, even in well established adult flocks.
It's just how they do.
Read thru this whole thread, lots of tips and tricks.

 

[Shezadandy]

Another good trick is having an old table or something that the chicks can easily (at their size) fly up to that the full grown hens wouldn't. Having such perches in corners so the chicks have somewhere to go up where the hens might not bother - or who knows- maybe the hens will be so excited about the new perch they'll let the littles settle in.

 

[2 many chickens]

When I added my 4 week olds to my 7 week old chicks they trapped him in a corner and trampled him. There was 10 of them sitting on his body. He was lifeless. Not sure why they chased him in a corner and squished him. It's not like they didn't see each other through a wire cage in the coop for a week beforehand. Dumb. Just dumb. They used him as a pillow. Made me sad. Just my experience.. this is a 10x10 coop, nice and big with plenty of perches.. for some reason slamming themselves in a corner sounded better for them...

 

[ThatsneakyHen]

When I added my 4 week olds to my 7 week old chicks they trapped him in a corner and trampled him. There was 10 of them sitting on his body. He was lifeless. Not sure why they chased him in a corner and squished him. It's not like they didn't see each other through a wire cage in the coop for a week beforehand. Dumb. Just dumb. They used him as a pillow. Made me sad. Just my experience.. this is a 10x10 coop, nice and big with plenty of perches.. for some reason slamming themselves in a corner sounded better for them...

AHHHH POOR BABY! so sorry

 

[2 many chickens]

AHHHH POOR BABY! so sorry

Me too. Thank you. It was awful.

 

[junkman56]

Sorry to hear that,
I had put my chicks in the coop when they were 4 weeks old, but they had a fence separating them from my 1.5 Year old hens, the run was separated also. I keep them like that for about 2 weeks then took down the fence.

 

[aart]

It's not like they didn't see each other through a wire cage in the coop for a week beforehand.

A week is not long enough. The piling in the corner killing a chick can happen even with chicks all raised together. 'Piling' is usually caused by fear or cold temps.

 

[2 many chickens]

A week is not long enough. The piling in the corner killing a chick can happen even with chicks all raised together. 'Piling' is usually caused by fear or cold temps.

I know that now, they have since been separated by a fence again. It has been in the 80s here so they just must have been spooked. I don't know.
How long do most people do the 'see but no touch' thing?

 

[aart]

How long do most people do the 'see but no touch' thing?

Usually few weeks, if not longer.
Can depend on the set up and situation.

Rereading this.....

When I added my 4 week olds to my 7 week old chicks they trapped him in a corner and trampled him. There was 10 of them sitting on his body. He was lifeless.

Was there only one single 4 week old chick added to the ten 7 week olds?

 

[Ruby's Mom]

Hello - I just integrated my (2) 7 week old brahma's with my (4) 4 year old bantam welsummers. Previously they have been all outside together for a week+ but separated by a fence (see but can't touch). Late last night, I took the brahma's out of their little nursery coop and put them in the big coop with the other 4 hens. Everyone did fine overnight. The 4 older hens came out this morning as usual, and it took a little coaxing to get the younger hens out. They all have been together in the run all day today with minor squawking but no other issues. I have multiple feeding areas in the run, and for a period of time, put the older hens off in a separate area so the younger hens could just relax a bit. The older hens are definitely setting boundaries, but so far do good. I do not have a 'panic room', but do have multiple perches in the run.