When to mix in new chickens?

[gtb66]

I’m confused....

I have 13 barred rock/Easter eggers (and one EE rooster) that are one year old. I also have 12 BR/EE that are 8 weeks old. They adults have a large coop and free range. The chicks are partitioned off in the large run. The confusion stems from the different messages on when to mix them. Many on here have said they’ve mixed theirs as early as four weeks with no problems. I’ve also read that the eight week olds need to eat the crumble food until four months old. If I mix them now, they will be eating the adult lay pellets and the adults will be eating the baby crumbles. Is there an answer to this conundrum?

 

[azygous]

I mix my new chicks when they are just two weeks old. It depends on how you do it whether it will be safe for the chicks. The longer you wait, the more conflict the chicks will face because they will be getting to a size where they will be drawn into the pecking order.

Yours are nearly too big already to rig a panic room where the openings are a size where the chicks can come and go but the adult chickens can't fit. But you can try. That's the easiest and safest way to integrate chicks. Keep their food and water inside so only they can access it and have a safe place to eat.

Once they get too large for the openings into the safe pen, you can use an old card or camp table in the run to place their food and water so they can hop up there to eat in peace.

Once they are dealing with the adult chickens well, you can go ahead and move them into the coop. But you may need to spend several nights teaching them to go into the coop at night. Come back later when you're ready to do that, and we'll share some advice on how to accomplish this next step.

 

[azygous]

Oh, the feed problem. You solve that by feeding the entire flock chick starter until the new ones are laying. Just provide oyster shell so the layers get calcium during this period.