Is anyone else adding their chicks to existing flock?

MandalaMaMa

Songster
6 Years
Jul 9, 2013
317
47
121
southern Oregon coast
Saturday we let our 8 week old chicks outside in the run for the first time. We gave them some time to get use to it and then let the big girls (2yrs old) back into the run later that day. They have been sharing the 8x10 coop since the first of the month. Chicks have been in a holding pen and let out in the coop when the big girls were outside.
Just wondering if anyone else is having fun watching chicken TV with new chicks.
 
Chicken TV , love that! We have three 1 year old hens and three 5 week old chicks. The weather has been nice enough that I have a pen outside to put the chicks in so they get used to each other but they are safe. I think we will wait until they are at least 8 weeks old to put them together without and barrier. Hopefully with all this time outside together, it won't be a big deal...
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Our hens are a Leghorn, Golden Comet, and Silver Laced Wyandotte. Our chicks are all Easter Eggers.
 
Chicken TV , love that!  We have three 1 year old hens and three 5 week old chicks.  The weather has been nice enough that I have a pen outside to put the chicks in so they get used to each other but they are safe.  I think we will wait until they are at least 8 weeks old to put them together without and barrier.  Hopefully with all this time outside together, it won't be a big deal...:oops:   Our hens are a Leghorn, Golden Comet, and Silver Laced Wyandotte.  Our chicks are all Easter Eggers.
I was a little nervous at 8 weeks and wondering if they were big enough. But they seem to be doing fine. Our run is pretty big so the little girls have lots of room to run away. We did lean some plywood boards in the corner of the run so they have somewhere to hide and get away if needed. They have learned to just give the big girls some space. It's funny how it seems the older hen that was low on the pecking order is the one that's the most aggressive towards the chicks. Someone to pick on, I guess.
 
I was a little nervous at 8 weeks and wondering if they were big enough. But they seem to be doing fine. Our run is pretty big so the little girls have lots of room to run away. We did lean some plywood boards in the corner of the run so they have somewhere to hide and get away if needed. They have learned to just give the big girls some space. It's funny how it seems the older hen that was low on the pecking order is the one that's the most aggressive towards the chicks. Someone to pick on, I guess.
Our big girls were 10 weeks old when we got them, so the little ones are our first babies. The Leghorn (Mrs. Howell, from Gilligan's Island. The other two are Ginger and MaryAnn) is top hen for sure. Although she was recently ill and on antibiotics and seems quieter than before. Ginger who is by far the friendliest of the group is also the biggest. Very curious to see how this plays out! We just put together a second coop. A small one with a built in run. The "Brady girls" Marcia, Jan, and Cindy will stay there until they can hang with the big girls. Hopefully they will all fit in the main coop. We will use the second coop as a triage coop, old hen coop, new chick coop, etc.

I read about how much roost space you need, but my three all huddle together on one end of a 36" roost, so I think they can all fit on it. We have three nests in it and most of the time, they all use the same one but change the one they lay in on a daily basis.
 
Our big girls were 10 weeks old when we got them, so the little ones are our first babies. The Leghorn (Mrs. Howell, from Gilligan's Island. The other two are Ginger and MaryAnn) is top hen for sure. Although she was recently ill and on antibiotics and seems quieter than before. Ginger who is by far the friendliest of the group is also the biggest. Very curious to see how this plays out! We just put together a second coop. A small one with a built in run. The "Brady girls" Marcia, Jan, and Cindy will stay there until they can hang with the big girls. Hopefully they will all fit in the main coop. We will use the second coop as a triage coop, old hen coop, new chick coop, etc.

I read about how much roost space you need, but my three all huddle together on one end of a 36" roost, so I think they can all fit on it. We have three nests in it and most of the time, they all use the same one but change the one they lay in on a daily basis.
Your chicken experience sounds like ours. Our big girls were 4 wks when we got them -- I also have a silver laced wyandotte (Winnie), a New Hampshire ( Lizzie) she's the most friendly and 2 Ameraucans (LouLou and RooRoo). The two Ameraucans are the most flighty and aggressive. The wyandotte is very laid back but aggressive at loves feeding time. Our first coop started as a 4x4 hen house on top with a 4x8 bottom -- it was a tractor that soon became stationary with a run attached to it. Lean everything the hard way first time around.

Its funny how much we have learned in the two years of having them. Hence the new 8x10 coop and 8 new chicks. Both coops are attached to the run and I'm going to use the old 4x4 coop as a holding pen / time out. Just like you are. The older girls are a bit confused because we have locked them out of the 4x4 coop. Still try to get in to lay eggs. On Saturday we opened up the bottom of the old coop by removing all the wire we had on it. Now it's like a jungle gym for them with lots of bars to roost on and openings to dart around in. Plus the bottom is cover in sand.

Our 8 new chicks were 5 days old when we got them. They were so small and cutie. Something totally new. We got 2 buff orpingtons, 2 Rhode Island Red, 2 Cockoo Marians, and 2 Black SexLinks. We have really been enjoying watching them grow and change. We are alot more relaxed this time around.

I totally love our new coop. It's so much easier to clean with poop boards. Plus I love being able to get in there with them.

Thanks for responding to my thread. It's nice to talk with someone else in the same boat as me. Oh ya -- I love your girls names. Mine were using the same nest box in the old coop too. But now we have 4 in the new one and they are using them all. I never know what I'm going to find.
 
Your chicken experience sounds like ours. Our big girls were 4 wks when we got them -- I also have a silver laced wyandotte (Winnie), a New Hampshire ( Lizzie) she's the most friendly and 2 Ameraucans (LouLou and RooRoo). The two Ameraucans are the most flighty and aggressive. The wyandotte is very laid back but aggressive at loves feeding time. Our first coop started as a 4x4 hen house on top with a 4x8 bottom -- it was a tractor that soon became stationary with a run attached to it. Lean everything the hard way first time around.

Its funny how much we have learned in the two years of having them. Hence the new 8x10 coop and 8 new chicks. Both coops are attached to the run and I'm going to use the old 4x4 coop as a holding pen / time out. Just like you are. The older girls are a bit confused because we have locked them out of the 4x4 coop. Still try to get in to lay eggs. On Saturday we opened up the bottom of the old coop by removing all the wire we had on it. Now it's like a jungle gym for them with lots of bars to roost on and openings to dart around in. Plus the bottom is cover in sand.

Our 8 new chicks were 5 days old when we got them. They were so small and cutie. Something totally new. We got 2 buff orpingtons, 2 Rhode Island Red, 2 Cockoo Marians, and 2 Black SexLinks. We have really been enjoying watching them grow and change. We are alot more relaxed this time around.

I totally love our new coop. It's so much easier to clean with poop boards. Plus I love being able to get in there with them.

Thanks for responding to my thread. It's nice to talk with someone else in the same boat as me. Oh ya -- I love your girls names. Mine were using the same nest box in the old coop too. But now we have 4 in the new one and they are using them all. I never know what I'm going to find.

I dream of an 8 x 10 coop, seriously :) I can't believe how much I enjoy chickens. It was kind of a whim. We went to a new TSC in Carson City just to browse, picked up a couple magaizines and the next thing we know, we're building a coop! My husband had no animals when he met me, now we have 5 dogs and 6 chickens.
 

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