Combining 7 week & 4 week old chicks

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Thu Jul 21, 2016 11:58 am

Decided to be brave and do it, with the hot weather coming the brooder was going to be uncomfortable.
There is only four of the 7 week olds and 14 of the 4 week olds, so I am hoping the big guys will get confused..?? and not pick on them too much.

The older ones are used to getting their greens, so trying distraction...I guess I will have to serve multiple dishes

Hamish still in bachelor quarters is dreaming in Technicolor

Post by **Killerbunny** » Thu Jul 21, 2016 2:09 pm

Poor Hamish! I really hope absence is making the heart grow fonder.

muffin57 · Post by **muffin57** » Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:07 pm

We are going through the same thing, trying to integrate a couple with the flock, but it hasn't worked out too well. My husband takes them back out again, as they freak out. We will just have to keep trying. We are going to try again this weekend when he is home.

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Thu Jul 21, 2016 10:20 pm

Killerbunny wrote:QR_BBPOST Poor Hamish! I really hope absence is making the heart grow fonder.

Here is hoping!!

muffin57 wrote:QR_BBPOST We are going through the same thing, trying to integrate a couple with the flock, but it hasn't worked out too well. My husband takes them back out again, as they freak out. We will just have to keep trying. We are going to try again this weekend when he is home.

I don't usually integrate until they are 4-5 month old, and after they have had a chance to live together separated by a fence, but the 4 older ones hatched with Ameraucanas and I keep the Ameraucana and Wyandotte flocks separate, so it was going to either happen now with some fuss, or later with much more fuss.
So far there were only few skirmishes, the fact that there are more of the smaller ones seem to work to their advantage luckily Wyandottes are pretty laid back breed.
Good luck with yours !

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Fri Jul 22, 2016 7:07 am

I have the same issue here, OC...i have the grown up birds and a bunch of almost three month olds and a whole passle of month olds...it'll be interesting for sure in a bit...have to keep them apart for a while on opposite sides of the fencing...the new coop is divided into three distinct areas...they look at each other with keen interest now...

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Fri Jul 22, 2016 10:31 am

So far so good, did see occasionally large chick grabbing top of head of small one, lots of screeching and confusion of small chicks running around, large chick back off and very obviously unable to figure out which one they were planning to torture and gave up....
Added couple more roosts, and by evening all seemed to be relatively content.
Gill, remember the chunky chick, He is humongous !!!

Post by **Killerbunny** » Fri Jul 22, 2016 10:56 am

Yes I do. He was big even then.