Introducing new chicks to older flock

[RonC]

How old do the chicks need to be before I let them roam with the big girls? Been raising chickens for a while but never tried to integrate new chicks into an existing flock. The two older hens I've had 6-7 years and the six newbies I got as day olds about 6 weeks ago. The older girls free range during the day as the little ones will after integration.The little ones were brooded in my chicken house that contains the coop itself. The building I call the chicken house is 16x 32 feet. The coop itself is 7x16 feet. Older hens have had access to meeting the little ones while in their brooder inside the chicken house. About the past week I've setup a temporary run for the little ones outside where the older ladies can have more contact while keeping them separated. Seems to be going well with the older ones ignoring the youngsters.

 

[mcdze]

doubt theyll ever become close buddies and the older ones will likely always nail one if it gets too close but theyll learn to tolerate them at a distance .. id say the main goal is just getting the new chicks acclimated to the setup .. i usually start letting them roam around the coop area and exploring at around 4-5 weeks during the day, and then put them up at night back in their own pen until they find the coop and are exploring it, finding the food in it, hanging out on roosts when the older birds are out and about ... when i judge they got it down and can avoid the older ones, they can start staying in the coop .. next hurdle is younger birds digging up nest boxes and roosting in them .. sometimes theyll do that until theyre old enough to lay .. if you only got 2 layers you only got one nest box set up anyway likely .. just keep the eggs collected so they dont get broke .. theyll grow out of it ..

 

[azygous]

You've done superbly so far with your integration. You have plenty of space and you've provided the opportunity for both adults and chicks to become acquainted.

While you were noticing the adult acting unimpressed by the chicks, the chicks have been carefully studying the adults. This has taught the chicks the individual temperaments of the adults, and this will serve them well when they start to mingle with them. Chicks as young as two weeks old are capable of this learning, and can then safely mingle with adults after a short period of observing the adult flock.

The only other thing you could do to maximize safety for the chicks is to create small entries, more than one, in and out of their safe pen and keep food and water in there so the chicks have a safe refuge when the stress of the pecking order gets overwhelming. It will be safe to take it down at around ten weeks.

 

[RonC]

I can open the man door to the coop inside the chicken house and close the auto door going outside. That will give the little ones private access to the coop. They can play on the roosts and figure out the cup waterers without fear. Little ones were watching one of the older hens laying today. Seemed quiet curious what was going on. Also have four more itty biddies that hatched Easter waiting to move to the small brooder pen, also in the chicken house.