This very much interests me because I've been introducing my 7 week old Red Stars and 8 week old Mallard hens to my Orpington hen, Goldie, and her Silkie Roo.
The babies were brooded in a pen in the workshop as summer is very warm here.
I even kept the workshop fan on most of the time due to the extreme heat.
Then 3 weeks ago I began putting the babies outside in an enclosed pen, like TuffOldhen wrote, where Goldie could see them and get used to them. My sweet little girl became a very loud complaining fool immediately. She's usually chosen to wander the yard eating bugs and grass (and my mini-roses if I don't keep them up high.) But she went nuts trying to get to the starter-grower in the pen, so I took the feeder from her Clubhouse and put it outside the pen. She shut right up, but she did seem to get a little rounder that first week.
During the 2nd week, I started letting the babies out into the (fenced) yard during the day.
Goldie's pecked once or twice when they've been silly enough to get between her and the 2nd feeder. But mostly they just avoided her and ate out of hers in the Clubhouse.
But now at the end of the 3rd week, they're actually hanging out together once in a while and Goldie has become a little less food-obsessive. She doesn't seem to know what to make of the ducks as they are natural leaders and drive the baby flock.
My Silkie Roo was never a problem with the newbies; he just looks a little star-struck now and then. I swear he's even hidden behind Goldie now and then.
