Young chickens with older ones

[hunter1158]

I have some chicks that are about a month old now.. I recently bought 5 red star hens about 6 months old. Do you think it would be ok to let the younger chickens out with the older ones? Would they pick on the young ones? (The young chickens are aracaunas and black star)

 

[azygous]

It's very dangerous to simply turn four-week old chicks into a pen with adult chickens without some very important safeguards.

First of all, it's imperative that the two groups have time to get to know each other with a secure fence separating them so they can see each other but not mingle. I'd give this period about a week. Longer is even better.

Then you will need plenty of space. If the enclosure is very small, the chicks will be cornered and trapped without any means of escape. What you need are plenty of perches, and things for the chicks to jump up on and run behind if chased.

The very best way to merge the two age groups is with a "panic room". This is achieved by cutting 5x7" holes in the fence separating the two groups so the chicks can come and go from their pen, but the adult chickens can't fit through. Food and water are kept in the panic room so the chicks don't need to compete for these essentials. Adults have a pecking order, and part of the "rules" is that adults eat first, and some will bully chicks away from the feeders under any circumstances.

I usually keep the panic room until around age three months when the chicks have grown too big to fit through the small holes. By this time, they've learned to cope with the pecking order and are pretty good at holding their own against to adults.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I agree merging two group of young ones is way different than putting young with adult hens, I too would put them side by side in pens for a bit, azygous, pretty much said it all.

 

[hunter1158]

Thank you for the replies.. I have them in a large cage so they can indeed see each other. They have been like this for 4 days or so. My plan to merge them wasn't anytime soon.. I was only inquiring about the topic. I wouldn't really say I would have the capabilities of making a panic room per-se, but there are many things in the coop the younger chickens could run to. Which the adults most likely couldn't get to.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Personally I would pick a day that I could play referee and try it, and continue to try it until I feel comfortable, if you have places for them to escape to that will help, it all depends on the personality of your birds. Only you can figure that out. Don't put it off too long though, I usually integrated around 6-8 weeks. They are feathered enough by then, and are pretty good runners.

 

[azygous]

Amen, chicks are gold medal runners! I also urge you not to put off letting them mingle.

For starters, being in a cage without the space to run and fly is much too confining at their age. They crave space. All you need to do to make a panic room is to take the door off the cage, or leave it on if it can't be removed. Fasten hardware cloth over the opening and cut a 5x7 hole in it. It's best to cover the raw wire edges with tape to prevent injuries. Leave food and water inside, and bingo! The chicks have both a panic room and freedom!

Just watch them! It doesn't take but a few minutes for them to learn to run back inside if they can't handle things. I've merged nine batches of chicks with adults in this manner and it has worked out spectacularly.

 

[hunter1158]

I tried an experiment today.. I took 2 of the month old chickens and released then with the older ones. (With carefully watching turn of course) they all ran over to the young ones and began to puff up and peck at them. I promptly intervened and return them to where they previously were. I understand you instructed to make them a panic room, however I don't really have the capabilities to do so. Any other ideas?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Well I said you might have to repeatedly try letting them out, though only two makes for easy targets, perhaps wait a couple of weeks then try again, I would make a small pen inside the pen with some chicken wire or hardware cloth, so they can be with the others but not get to them, you are going to have a problem because the older are not old enough to think of the young ones as chick, they see them as competition, it's going to take a while, most likely until the older ones forget they don't know the younger ones, and probably until they begin to lay, it's a situation that will take a while, don't rush it, they have a couple of weeks before I would integrate them permanently, 8 weeks is a good age, eventually everyone will mostly get along.