Mixing bobwhite age groups

[magnumhntr]

I have a handful of adult bobs in a pen, 250 sqft. I have 150 6wk olds in the brooder. When is a good time to put them in with the adults? Is this a smart thing to do? Or will the adults fight with/pick on the juveniles? This is my first year doing bobs, and want to minimize my mistakes. Also, I'm gonna trade males with a friend so there is no inbreeding in the spring. Should we swap males as soon as they are adults so they get used to each other, or wait until spring.

[stewaw]

My greatest success has come when I mix birds by placing them ALL in a new cage/enclosure.  Simply adding new birds into a pen of existing birds is a sure fire method of inciting a riot in the pen.  If space is limited, remove/separate and cage the adult birds into smaller cages for a week or so and then reintroduce all (including the youngsters) the birds back into the large pen.  An established flock will defend their "territory" against all newcomers.  The good thing is that birds don't have a very good memory and by removing them for a week and then re-introducing them into the pen, it is "new habitat" for them all and they join as one new flock.  This would also be the perfect time to swap and introduce the new males. In wild populations of Bobwhites, this occurs naturally and is known as the "fall shuffle" where young of the year leave their brood habitat and travel some distance to form/join into new flocks that spend the winter together and then pair up the following spring.  I'm not sure what part of the country you are in but this typically occurs (in Oklahoma) from mid August to mid September.  Probably a little sooner South of Oklahoma and a little later the farther North you go.

David