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Adding younger chick or older hens to small flock?

post #1 of 5
6/27/12 at 1:17pm
Thread Starter 

Of the six chicks I started out with, one disappeared and one turned out to be a rooster and will be "rehomed."  I am thinking of getting two new ones to replace them and I'm trying to figure out what age chicken will integrate into the group better - ones who are younger than what I have now or older ones.

 

There are two people nearby selling Easter Eggers (which is what the one I lost was) -- I can pick either pullets that are about 3 or 4 weeks younger than the birds I have, or year-old laying hens. Either way I'm going to get two of them, to add to the four I have.  Is it easier / better to integrate younger ones, or older ones?  My flock is about 9 1/2 weeks old, if that helps!

Crossed over into crazy chicken lady via chicken math: 2 generations of chickens in my tiny house/yard on Main Street in a small New England town. Current flock includes: 1 columbian wyandotte, 1 golden-laced wyandotte, 1 Olive Egger, 1 blind Ameraucana (hawk attack) residing in my living room, and a whole lot of new chicks including: bantam silkies, RIR, black Australorp, Leghorn, and EEs.

Bui...

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Crossed over into crazy chicken lady via chicken math: 2 generations of chickens in my tiny house/yard on Main Street in a small New England town. Current flock includes: 1 columbian wyandotte, 1 golden-laced wyandotte, 1 Olive Egger, 1 blind Ameraucana (hawk attack) residing in my living room, and a whole lot of new chicks including: bantam silkies, RIR, black Australorp, Leghorn, and EEs.

Bui...

Reply

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post #2 of 5
6/28/12 at 12:53am

I'd say get the younger chicks. Older chickens are more aggressive and will probably bully your youngsters. Keep the newbies separate for awhile and make sure they don't carry any disease or lice! 

 

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked ~ Bernard Meltzer

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A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked ~ Bernard Meltzer

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post #3 of 5
6/28/12 at 2:09am
I have found that for all our girls, if i take them out of their pen for a night, clean and rearrange things, then put them back with a couple new ones added, they are less territorial. Still squabble but not as much. We have little ones we hatch from incubators and have added to the flock every year.
1 husband, 2 kids, 2 dogs, 19 chickens, 2 peafowl, 5 fishes, 2 horses.
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1 husband, 2 kids, 2 dogs, 19 chickens, 2 peafowl, 5 fishes, 2 horses.
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post #4 of 5
6/28/12 at 3:35am

Definatley go for the younger ones, they will be so much fun and the younger ones will get along better with you and become really tame big_smile.png

The chickdren/chicken~children: 3 pekins, 3 polish, 1 slw, 1 orpington, 1 cukoo maran. 

And many more to come i think, as i want sooo many!!! 

And a good chicken day to you!! 

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The chickdren/chicken~children: 3 pekins, 3 polish, 1 slw, 1 orpington, 1 cukoo maran. 

And many more to come i think, as i want sooo many!!! 

And a good chicken day to you!! 

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post #5 of 5
6/28/12 at 6:31am
Thread Starter 
My girls are 10 weeks old, and I'd get either 7 week old pullets or year old hens, if that helps!

Crossed over into crazy chicken lady via chicken math: 2 generations of chickens in my tiny house/yard on Main Street in a small New England town. Current flock includes: 1 columbian wyandotte, 1 golden-laced wyandotte, 1 Olive Egger, 1 blind Ameraucana (hawk attack) residing in my living room, and a whole lot of new chicks including: bantam silkies, RIR, black Australorp, Leghorn, and EEs.

Bui...

Reply

Crossed over into crazy chicken lady via chicken math: 2 generations of chickens in my tiny house/yard on Main Street in a small New England town. Current flock includes: 1 columbian wyandotte, 1 golden-laced wyandotte, 1 Olive Egger, 1 blind Ameraucana (hawk attack) residing in my living room, and a whole lot of new chicks including: bantam silkies, RIR, black Australorp, Leghorn, and EEs.

Bui...

Reply
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Have you ever wondered how a hen can lay an egg every day?
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Raising Chickens on a Shoestring
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