[Honeysuckle]

What is the best age to introduce young birds to the run with our mature hens?   

[joyfull]

If they are not with a broody hen then really they need to be big enough to stand up for themselves, also don't forget good quarrenteen proceedures for a few weeks, extra feeders, drinkers and hideaway places  . Whatever the age the older girls will bully the new ones for a few weeks.

[bengigirl]

I'm a newbie at this and have had to merge my 'babies' with the grown hens recently.  I don't know if it is right or wrong, but so far it has worked and the babies are thriving with tolerence from their 'Aunties'
As soon as they were ready to go out after coming off heat and then  feathered up, I put them in a large wooden box in the pen with the rest of the hens. they had a lift off lid and my hubbie had put a posh window in the front., I lifted the lid in the morning,( after my girlies had fed and watered and I let them out to range) and the little birdies had the run of the inner pen, I put them to bed early for the first couple of weeks, before the old girlies came in for the night. Next step i put them in a temporary run made of metal pins and netting and fetched them in at night before the others made their way in. Now they are 12/13 weeks I have let them decide when they want in and out by leaving the lid off during day and night(they have a sheltered area apart from their lid) and they free range as the others, come in and out with the others and generally keep out of the beak range of the Aunties. They are a little flock together, but are merging slowly as they get bigger.
I do keep my eye on them and make sure they stay out of trouble but that is because they range and get lost in the orchard.
I can hear them when they have lost an individual as they call to one another with an endearing little stress call.
I think the main thing is giving the little ones somewhere to escape to, after letting them live confined but in view of of the flock.  Make sure they have their own food and water supply and at treat time distract the older flock with thier treat.Then give the little ones some in their own area. Mine is an ongoing learning curve, but so far it is working.  AS they are starting to get bigger they are naturally becoming integrated and the Aunties are largely ignoring them unless they get in the way of a tasty morsel. But hey that's the pecking order.
Hope you can understand this, I write as I think, bit muddled. ('tis me age)

[Honeysuckle]

Thank you for the replies.

I have 4 chicks that are 7 weeks old at the moment and they don't have a brooder hen.  I assumed they wouldn't be old enough just yet to go in with the older hens but was thinking around 12 weeks they may be old enough?   

[Hayley'sHens]

I have 2 6 week old chicks in with a broody hen, Would they be ok with the bigger girls now?

[joyfull]

Honeysuckle yes 12 weeks would be better but in the meantime make sure they are in full view of the biggies during the day if you can so they can get used to sing each other 

Hayley, try it I let mine out with their broody mum at a couple of days old - mum always protects them and if there is any problem she will take them to safety. The only problem is feeding them as the broody and chicks will be on different food to your layers so I try to keep them seperate in their broody coop until after 10 and then back in before tea time for their own feed 

[Chicken Pete]

We presently have 4 chickens(14 weeks) in a side pen to the main run for quarantine. When we introduce them to the rest of the hens,is there a preferred way of doing it or just let them into the run/house and let them mingle straight away?
They have been 'speaking' to each other for a few days now so hopefully it will be friendly when we put them together.

[joyfull]

the chances are they will still fight as the older girls will need to assert their authority over the new ones. The best time to get them together is over night. Lift the new girls into the main coop when the others are asleep - make sure you get up early the following day so that you can let them out to prevent the newbies being attacked in the coop with no space to escape  . Have several feeders/drinkers and places for the newbies to hide away in.

[Hayley'sHens]

Thanks Joy, Im an old worry wart so will leave them seperate for a few more days I think, Had a nasty experience with younger hens being attacked when I first got my girls in Feb, Kind of made me worry a little bit more about introducing younger ones now 

[Chablis Dog]

I bought four 7 week old maran chicks about 6 weeks ago.  I didn't have a separate area set up for them, but I keep my current flock of 4 in a large hen house which is itself within a large hanger attached to a paddock.   Because I only have a few birds and plenty of space, I didn't quarantine.  My new birds were kept for the first few days in a plastic pet carrier inside a large dog crate within the hanger, so they could see and hear each other (both old and new birds).  After about three days, I let them out and they have been fine.  They pretty much ignored each other to begin with and there were always places for the new girls to escape to if required.  There has been the odd bit of noise and ruffled feathers but otherwise no problems.  The new girls have largely stayed separate from the older flock but are now starting to integrate and for the last few weeks have been going into the main hen house at bedtime.

[joyfull]

new birds really do need to be in quarantine for a few weeks just in case they have any infections that they can pass on to your other birds. You were lucky this time Chablis Dog but may not be so lucky next time 

[Chablis Dog]

Yes, I take your point Joyfull.  Not an ideal situation I know.  Although I have loads of space, I don't have a lot of fencing, so I made the decision to put the new girls into the secure paddock as there is a very healthy fox population round here.  Also, it was a calculated risk.  I bought from a large supplier who has to be very careful or people will stop buying from her overnight.  I also took the advice of my sister-in-law who has had chooks for years and never quarantined.  She said that as I had so few birds and they weren't all cooped up together in a small space, I shouldn't have a problem.  Also, I should say, the view from France is quite different to that in the UK.  The French would fall about laughing if they knew half the stuff we get up to with our birds.  I don't think I have met anyone yet who either quarantines, worms, disinfects, vaccinates etc, etc here.  They take a robust attitude that the birds just have to get on with, so I tend to think my birds are the lucky ones!!!!

[Jeanette]

I put my young ones in with the older ones when they were 16 weeks old. They could see each other and talk through the fence before they were put together but there was still the odd fight when they got when one of the new ones tried to get the food. Make sure that you have plenty of places that the young ones can hide in and extre feeding and water stations dotted around.