Will I be able to combine my chickens?

[Glos Girls]

Hello, We have 11 week old Golden Comets and 6 week Road Island Reds, When the younger chicks size catches up with the older ones will they be able to be in the same coop? I have tried to mix in 12 (out of 97) of the younger ones, but too much pecking went on so I took them out. I am hoping to be able to mix them for we can put all of the Roos (Road Island Reds) in coop 1 (until freezing or selling) and all the hens in coop 2. Hope that was not too confusing..lol

 

[ALJhappychicken]

No, that wasn't too confusing. I combine my babies by letting the hens and pulleys see each other but not really letting them interact. I section off the coop. Sorry, I know this isn't very helpful, but sometimes it works. Hope that could help a little! :yiipchick

 

[lazy gardener]

You have 97 total, 97 older, or 97 younger? What has worked for me, and your situation seems much different due to the larger numbers... Is to put some of the bigger girls in with the younger ones. You might start with just one big girl. Then add a few more. If the youngsters far outnumber the older girls, they will not be able to focus all of their attention on picking on just one or two. An other consideration is how much square footage do you have for these birds. Crowded birds are aggressive. The minimum is 4 square feet per bird in the coop, and 10 square feet per bird in the run. You'll also need to be sure you have enough roost space: minimum of 10 linear inches per bird. And enough nest boxes: 1 box for every 4 hens. Also, do you have plenty of feeding stations available? You might do better if you wait a couple more weeks before trying to integrate.