who's easier to integrate ?????

[emjay]

10 week olds with 14 week olds

or adults ???

I have 3, 10 week old pullets, who I would like to move so I can give their space to my BLR girls who have outgrown their space.

I have 2, 14 week old pullets. I would like to put the 3 in with the 2. They are very similar in size, as two are siblings (4 weeks difference), their mom must have bantam in her lineage as they are both similarily colored and similar size. the other 14 week old, was my runty one, who also isn't very big, so the size is not a major concern.

Just wondering if the pecking would be more aggressive with youngsters or oldsters.

Both sets hatched on my property under broody hens.

 

[gryeyes]

I'm NOT an expert, but I've tried both, and while there was some distress with both scenarios, I found it was easier to integrate the youngsters together. They became a larger "gang" to integrate with the older chickens, later.

Still more than one re-ordering of the pecking order, but easier on the larger group of youngsters than it was with the way younger ones with the much older ones.

If that makes any sense....

 

[Tala]

I have chickens on my yard ranging from 8 weeks to adults. Most of the 12-15ish week cockerels are the gentlest towards the youngest birds, and my adult rooster is very kind towards youngsters as well. Hens are mean

I have rarely had trouble mixing younger birds who are only separated by a few weeks of age. I would not expect any major problems when mixing the 10 and 14 week olds, that's definitely what I would do.