Moving mom & chicks

[Elliemae1984]

Would love some experienced opinions on when I can/should reintroduce my hen and her chicks to the other adults.

I hatched out 12 silkie chicks and gave them to my broody hen. At first I left mom and chicks in the coop with the other adults (1 hen, 2 roos) and the other adults were great with the chicks. But they cuddle puddle *aggressively* to sleep and 2 chicks were smushed.

So to keep the chicks safe I moved mom and babies to their own coop. They are now 3-4 weeks old and doing great, but I’m wondering when I should reintroduce them.

I was going to wait until 8 weeks when they’re fully feathered…but that seems a bit late. Thoughts?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I generally fence off the mom and brood right inside the coop, and I release chicks and mom under supervision at 1-2 weeks of age.

You will need to set up a pen so the flock can see them for a few days at least before try to mingle them again. Chicks under 2 weeks sometimes aren't strong enough or smart enough to get out of the way of the rest of the flock. By 2 weeks they are more ready to run the gauntlet.