Chickens develop a hierarchy within the flock
Introducing baby chicks to a flock of chickens can be done, though a number of preparations need to be made to ensure that the integration runs as smoothly. Chicks that have been hand reared should not be introduced to the rest of the flock until they are at least six weeks old, and some chicken farmers recommend only introducing chickens of the same size to reduce the risk of the newcomers being bullied. However there are ways of protecting smaller chicks during the process. Avoid introducing new males into a flock that already has a cockerel as this will lead to fighting between males.
Instructions
1. Fence off an area of the chicken's pen to form a separate partition and house the chicks in this area for the first week. Be sure to provide each partition with enough chicken feed and water for the number of birds it inhabits. During this time members of the original flock will generally act aggressively toward the newcomers, although the fence will prevent any fighting or bullying. Over the course of the week the chickens will become used to the presence of the new chicks and any signs of aggression should diminish. If after a week some of the original chickens are still acting aggressively, this is unlikely to change. The owner should then consider removing the aggressive chicken from the flock permanently to introduce the new chicks safely.
2. Introduce the new chicks to the flock during the night by placing them in the communal roosting area and providing them with their own nest area. As the chickens will be roosting at this time, they will be less aware of the new members being added and will be less likely to act aggressively towards them.
3. Protect young chickens by constructing a specialized feeding area with small entrances, meaning that only the baby chicks will be able to enter. This will ensure that the chicks are getting enough food and will also ensure that they have a place of refuge if any bullying from the older birds does occur.
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