15 chicks, DOA

[Nanili]

Truly, this is my worst nightmare. I worried to death over the arrival of my chicks seven years ago. Thankfully, they all survived, even the extra. You have my sympathy at having to experience such an ordeal. One option is to purchase from a local feed store. This time of year they are gearing up for 'Chick Days.'

Yes, that is what I'm planning to do. Thank you!

 

[Nanili]

I wish I were closer to you as I'd be happy to get chicks from Belt and let you take only those you want, but I am all the way down near to Palm Springs. Maybe someone on the California thread would be willing to share a box with you. Belt is in Fresno I am not sure if you can pick up in person there,but they do answer the phone and are a very pleasant-to-deal-with- family business. Maybe they would help you out with a small order- I think it would be worth a call...btw sometimes I forget that chickens are not everyone's day job!

That is so sweet of you to even think of. I think I am going to try local places. I am assuming I can get chicks from different feed stores and put them all together. Is that ok, or do I have to introduce at night, like with grown hens?

 

[bruceha2000]

You can probably source from different places, it isn't like all the chicks in a particular store already "know" each other since they are in different bins by breed. But I wouldn't want to get 2 here today, 2 there in 2 days, 2 over there 3 days after that. Not that it COULDN'T work but I think it is easier the younger the chicks are. They'll only have to go through their pecking order once.

 

[sevenfatcows]

I do mix chickens from different groups as long as the size difference is not too great nor the age difference too diverse. Just this week I needed to mix some two week olds with some five day olds, and it was fine. I put the older ones into the brooder with the younger because there were more of the five day olds. It was the older ones who were upset for a while, but by that evening all were cuddled up together under the chick warmer plate. Young chicks are pretty accepting of new brooder-mates.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That is so sweet of you to even think of. I think I am going to try local places. I am assuming I can get chicks from different feed stores and put them all together. Is that ok, or do I have to introduce at night, like with grown hens?

As long as the chicks are roughly the same age/size you can put them together without worrying about pecking order issues. Chickens don't develop a pecking order until they're older. I was able to add 7 week olds to an existing batch of same age with zero issue.

 

[Nanili]

So could they be a week or two apart? Or is that too long? The feed stores locally keep getting disruptions in their deliveries for one reason or another.

 

[sevenfatcows]

In my experience a week or two is no problem. I sometimes mix hatchlings with greater age disparity than that. As babies they are generally not very aggressive toward one another. I would not put them together when size differences are great enough to cause a problem, and it is always a good idea to keep an eye out that things do not get too rough as the chicks get used to one another. Even if there is a bit of fuss, it usually is sorted out quickly among chicks. I always have chicks hatching, so sometimes I need to rearrange my different hatches and combine groups-it really is okay.