Will my new chicks be accepted by the flock

[Lynette]

My OEG Bantam had 6 babies a couple of weeks ago. I have them seperated from the rest of the flock. The flock is a mixture of bantams and standards. Mom and her babies get outside, but it is in a run away from everyone else who is free ranging. Can I let them out with the others to free range without them being hurt? I have a 2 acre yard so there is plenty of room, but I am scared. Also, will they be accepted into the flock this way? I sure hope so.

 

[brahmakid11]

they will be excepted after awhile

 

[NottinghamChicks]

Mom will protect them. My girl was on the bottom of the pecking order and she did just fine with her chicks. They all lived together and free ranged as well. Moms are pretty amazing in their abilities

 

[Quinn4321]

What I did is I put the mom and her babies in a dog crate, then took them to where the other chickens are. After a few hours of letting them meet through the bars, I released them. Mom took care of them, and it went very smoothly.
You should be fine.

 

[Carrie Lynn]

I'd encourage you to try the dog crate idea, especially with LF in your flock.

 

[hokankai]

While mom's with them it'll be ok...the trick is after mom leaves them behind. I have 6 15 week old chicks that are constantly reminded of their low rank in the coop. Things will get reshuffled though once they realize they're finally the same size

 

[nicokl502]

it was a while before my chicks got accepted there where two group the old and the new for weeks but then one day they became one big happy family the older ones are still the boss but the news one don't seem to mind

 

[Wildflower_VA]

I have the opposite problem. I have 20 baby chicks which will be seven weeks old on Monday and I have six black Australorp pullets that are 27 weeks old. The older girls are terrified of the babies. I have the babies in a pasture pen inside an electric poultry fence. The big girls will no longer go inside the fence to free range. I took two of the babies over to where the big girls were happily foraging and put them on the ground about six feet away. The big girls ran away screeching, then stood there staring with their eyes bugging out in fright. I was hoping to have them integrated by another five weeks. Maybe not.

 

[The Breaker]

I set up a pen in the coop and live them in there for a week and then let them go usally agcepted by then

 

[MEchickenfarmer33]

probably not at first but once the pecking order has been established them should all be fine