2018 Newbie Chat!

[Anna Ranieri]

That’s too bad about the Silkies but I love having calm nice birds.
No bullies for me.
RIR are often aggressive birds but there are some lines that aren’t.
My gold sex link surprised me because I thought she would be the mean one.
I was not expecting it in my Wyandottes but several people on BYC have told me theirs are mean too.
I won’t be getting more Wyandottes after I rehome these three.

Now that is something those of us who order chicks through the mail can’t do...we can’t see the parents and watch the flock.
So there are some pluses to your situation.
Still...waiting on people to call you back before you can get any birds has got to be frustrating.

Meant to say my RIR's are not aggressive at all, they are a bit skittish and easily spooked but are very affectionate, very calm and friendly too - mine are hybrids though maybe that makes the difference. My daughter took this picture earlier, we finally figured out how to get the pictures to load - yay! - not very clear on here as I just dropped some banana and they all came running lol

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Meant to say my RIR's are not aggressive at all, they are a bit skittish and easily spooked but are very affectionate, very calm and friendly too - mine are hybrids though maybe that makes the difference. My daughter took this picture earlier, we finally figured out how to get the pictures to load - yay! - not very clear on here as I just dropped some banana and they all came running lol View attachment 1514427

Pedro is the red chicken, Jellybean the other - Pedro usually has a beautiful long red and black tail but she is molting. She has a few pinfeathers so hopefully she will have her tail back soon

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Yay!!!
I’m so very excited for you!
What a good kind friend.
She is just gorgeous!
She’s only 5 months old. My NNs are 21 weeks and haven’t even started laying yet.
There’s a possibility the chick could be male though. Hopefully not.
Can you keep roos?
Is it a chick from another hen that she’s raising or did she start laying early and actually hatch one out herself?

Just realised the chick will be 12 days old tomorrow, never had a chick that young - gulp! - I will be keeping them in a holding pen away from the flock and will be taking the flock for visits two at a time for the first couple of days, any advice or suggestions would be gratefully received - Also do I need to put in chick crumbs as well as layer feed?

 

[CannedMonster]

Just realised the chick will be 12 days old tomorrow, never had a chick that young - gulp! - I will be keeping them in a holding pen away from the flock and will be taking the flock for visits two at a time for the first couple of days, any advice or suggestions would be gratefully received - Also do I need to put in chick crumbs as well as layer feed?

Do not feed the chick layer feed!
It has too much calcium for a chick and not enough protein.
I’m not sure what the UK has available but any kind of chick starter or all flock feed is fine for the chick and the mother.
In fact, you can feed it to all your chickens and just give them oyster shell on the side free choice for calcium.

The mother will keep the chick warm.
She won’t roost until the chick is older and can keep itself warm.
A large nest box on the floor of her area will be fine for them.
Make sure the chick can’t get through the wire!
She may not be laying eggs right now since she has a chick.

As for integration with the rest of your birds...being able to see each other but not touch each other is key.
If your mom and chick can be in some sort of enclosure at ground level so your other birds can walk by and they see each other, that would be ideal.
This should be done for at least a week, possibly two, since it’s a mom with a chick.
After the week or so, I’d let them free range around the yard with human supervision.
What kind of set up do you have for them?

 

[PNW_Peepers]

Just realised the chick will be 12 days old tomorrow, never had a chick that young - gulp! - I will be keeping them in a holding pen away from the flock and will be taking the flock for visits two at a time for the first couple of days, any advice or suggestions would be gratefully received - Also do I need to put in chick crumbs as well as layer feed?

I wouldn’t do any visits for quite a few weeks, with a chick that young unable to defend itself. Integration should be done as a look but can’t touch for a few weeks. If you had gone with two older pullets similar in age to your current hens it would go a bit smoother. Chicks are just too fragile to be integrated with full size hens. Hope this helps, I’ve done three successful integrations this year with this method.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Do not feed the chick layer feed!
It has too much calcium for a chick and not enough protein.
I’m not sure what the UK has available but any kind of chick starter or all flock feed is fine for the chick and the mother.
In fact, you can feed it to all your chickens and just give them oyster shell on the side free choice for calcium.

The mother will keep the chick warm.
She won’t roost until the chick is older and can keep itself warm.
A large nest box on the floor of her area will be fine for them.
Make sure the chick can’t get through the wire!
She may not be laying eggs right now since she has a chick.

As for integration with the rest of your birds...being able to see each other but not touch each other is key.
If your mom and chick can be in some sort of enclosure at ground level so your other birds can walk by and they see each other, that would be ideal.
This should be done for at least a week, possibly two, since it’s a mom with a chick.
After the week or so, I’d let them free range around the yard with human supervision.
What kind of set up do you have for them?

Thank you yet again for all your help and advice
I have a holding pen which basically is a cage which can be moved about, it is on ground level and no one can get in or out of it other than by the door, which I will keep locked. We have the holding pen in a place where the others and my grandson can't get to unless we let them in - we want to walk them into the area we have the holding pen in and will stay with them while they observe each other through the pen bars and then lead them out again and will do so for a couple of days for our own benefit so we can monitor their response and reactions and assess the situation. Once we are satisfied we will move the holding pen into the run for night time and to the garden whilst the others are free ranging. When we finally let them out in a few weeks time, we intend to do so with ducks out of the way so the chickens have a chance to get to know each other without being behind bars, once we get the result we want we will then let the ducks mingle too.
Our holding pen has a kind of plastic base which we have covered with wood chip and some hay on top, we have a large kitty litter tray which we will use as the nest box - if you think that will be ok?
We have chick crumb which is a starter feed so I will feed them on that only as you have advised.
Should I put apple cider vinegar in their drinking water and should I scatter the oyster shell into the pen so she can scratch for it or should I put it in a pot?
To be honest I am really nervous about having a chick so young - I haven't seen hi yet and the picture I posted of the two of them was taken on the day he hatched so I'm thinking he should be bigger than that by now, if he isn't then we have a problem because he would be able to fit through the bars of the holding pen - we have some chicken wire which we bought but never used and I'm thinking I could wrap the pen in that so the little one won't be able to get out - I am so glad you mentioned that because I forgotten he or she is going to be tiny for a while.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I wouldn’t do any visits for quite a few weeks, with a chick that young unable to defend itself. Integration should be done as a look but can’t touch for a few weeks. If you had gone with two older pullets similar in age to your current hens it would go a bit smoother. Chicks are just too fragile to be integrated with full size hens. Hope this helps, I’ve done three successful integrations this year with this method.

Sorry I don't think I explained myself properly. They will be in a holding pen, they can't get out and no one can get in but they can see each other, we have it in an area the others can't get into without us opening a door for them. For our own benefit we want to schedule their visits into the area we are keeping the pen in, so they can look at each other - we want to do this for a couple of days to give us a chance to see how each responds - after that we will move the holding pen into the run at night and into the garden by day so they each can see each other all the time

 

[CannedMonster]

Thank you yet again for all your help and advice
I have a holding pen which basically is a cage which can be moved about, it is on ground level and no one can get in or out of it other than by the door, which I will keep locked. We have the holding pen in a place where the others and my grandson can't get to unless we let them in - we want to walk them into the area we have the holding pen in and will stay with them while they observe each other through the pen bars and then lead them out again and will do so for a couple of days for our own benefit so we can monitor their response and reactions and assess the situation. Once we are satisfied we will move the holding pen into the run for night time and to the garden whilst the others are free ranging. When we finally let them out in a few weeks time, we intend to do so with ducks out of the way so the chickens have a chance to get to know each other without being behind bars, once we get the result we want we will then let the ducks mingle too.
Our holding pen has a kind of plastic base which we have covered with wood chip and some hay on top, we have a large kitty litter tray which we will use as the nest box - if you think that will be ok?
We have chick crumb which is a starter feed so I will feed them on that only as you have advised.
Should I put apple cider vinegar in their drinking water and should I scatter the oyster shell into the pen so she can scratch for it or should I put it in a pot?
To be honest I am really nervous about having a chick so young - I haven't seen hi yet and the picture I posted of the two of them was taken on the day he hatched so I'm thinking he should be bigger than that by now, if he isn't then we have a problem because he would be able to fit through the bars of the holding pen - we have some chicken wire which we bought but never used and I'm thinking I could wrap the pen in that so the little one won't be able to get out - I am so glad you mentioned that because I forgotten he or she is going to be tiny for a while.

You can put the oyster shell in a pot.
The chick will sample it but don’t worry about it. It’ll be fine.
My bantam chicks were able to go through the openings of my dog play yard I’d put them in. Especially Silkie.
The openings are only 2 inches wide!
I couldn’t believe it haha.
And they were about 5 weeks old at that time.
You will probably want to wrap it in chicken wire because it sounds like the other birds may be able to peck through the bars also.
A kitty litter pan should work just fine.
The chick will have to eat the starter until it’s old enough to lay eggs.
You can feed your other birds chick starter too and offer oyster shell free choice for calcium if that makes it easier once you integrate them.
Please understand that the mother hen may be extremely protective of her baby.
They can be that way even with a flock they grew up in.
That’s why integrating a mother and baby to a brand new flock is going to be extremely stressful.
She might be the type of mother that isn’t extremely protective but the baby has to be protected from the other birds.
Don’t be in a hurry to rush things.

Can you remove the tray from the holding pen when they’re outside so they have access to dirt and grass instead of wood chips and hay?
Can you provide chick grit for the baby?
If it eats some of the hay and wood chips it’ll need some.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

You can put the oyster shell in a pot.
The chick will sample it but don’t worry about it. It’ll be fine.
My bantam chicks were able to go through the openings of my dog play yard I’d put them in. Especially Silkie.
The openings are only 2 inches wide!
I couldn’t believe it haha.
And they were about 5 weeks old at that time.
You will probably want to wrap it in chicken wire because it sounds like the other birds may be able to peck through the bars also.
A kitty litter pan should work just fine.
The chick will have to eat the starter until it’s old enough to lay eggs.
You can feed your other birds chick starter too and offer oyster shell free choice for calcium if that makes it easier once you integrate them.
Please understand that the mother hen may be extremely protective of her baby.
They can be that way even with a flock they grew up in.
That’s why integrating a mother and baby to a brand new flock is going to be extremely stressful.
She might be the type of mother that isn’t extremely protective but the baby has to be protected from the other birds.
Don’t be in a hurry to rush things.

Can you remove the tray from the holding pen when they’re outside so they have access to dirt and grass instead of wood chips and hay?
Can you provide chick grit for the baby?
If it eats some of the hay and wood chips it’ll need some.

Ohh thank you so very very much, all these are things I didn't know! -
The tray is removable so I shall remove it when outside as you have advised - I have a grit mix which is grit and oyster shell mixed, I will check the age limit on it and if not suitable I can get a different one for the baby.
There are a lot of people here who don't bother with integration, a popular method is to just put the new birds in with the flock at night time and then just let them out together the next day and just leave them to fight it out - I've said no to it, I want to give all the birds as well as us, time to adjust and to get used to each other, plus I want to keep the baby safe. - Although friendly this hen was part of a production line - so to speak - she has come from a flock who's purpose is to lay eggs for selling and for hatching - worker hens as I call them are not tamed - my friend is one of the biggest sellers/breeders in Suffolk where I live, his outlay is such that there is a very high probability that my RIR's came from a line which began from his eggs, even though I bought them from a dealer who breeds and hatches his own flocks - this hen will be used to the hustle and bustle and busy life of a production farm, so we have to work to tame the bird as well as integrate it, so I know it will be a long and slow process - as long as I have them sleeping together before the onset of winter, I will be happy. Also we want to win her trust enough that she will allow us to handle her chick, we want to get it as used to us as much as we can. I know my girls so well and I know they won't be a problem, I just don't know how the Sussex will be towards them, plus with her being older I think there is every chance she will challenge Pedro for head chicken status - mine are very much pampered pets and I think a hardcore farm bird is going to be a shock for them, so I intend to go very slowly and tread very lightly.
I can't thank you enough for all your help and advice and for sharing your wisdom and knowledge - I so wish you lived here, I'd have you tame and integrate them for me

 

[CannedMonster]

Ohh thank you so very very much, all these are things I didn't know! -
The tray is removable so I shall remove it when outside as you have advised - I have a grit mix which is grit and oyster shell mixed, I will check the age limit on it and if not suitable I can get a different one for the baby.
There are a lot of people here who don't bother with integration, a popular method is to just put the new birds in with the flock at night time and then just let them out together the next day and just leave them to fight it out - I've said no to it, I want to give all the birds as well as us, time to adjust and to get used to each other, plus I want to keep the baby safe. - Although friendly this hen was part of a production line - so to speak - she has come from a flock who's purpose is to lay eggs for selling and for hatching - worker hens as I call them are not tamed - my friend is one of the biggest sellers/breeders in Suffolk where I live, his outlay is such that there is a very high probability that my RIR's came from a line which began from his eggs, even though I bought them from a dealer who breeds and hatches his own flocks - this hen will be used to the hustle and bustle and busy life of a production farm, so we have to work to tame the bird as well as integrate it, so I know it will be a long and slow process - as long as I have them sleeping together before the onset of winter, I will be happy. Also we want to win her trust enough that she will allow us to handle her chick, we want to get it as used to us as much as we can. I know my girls so well and I know they won't be a problem, I just don't know how the Sussex will be towards them, plus with her being older I think there is every chance she will challenge Pedro for head chicken status - mine are very much pampered pets and I think a hardcore farm bird is going to be a shock for them, so I intend to go very slowly and tread very lightly.
I can't thank you enough for all your help and advice and for sharing your wisdom and knowledge - I so wish you lived here, I'd have you tame and integrate them for me

I’m so glad I can help in some way.
I’m a little confused...didn’t you say the Sussex was 5 months old?
How old are Pedro and...I’m sorry I forgot the other girls name
The oldest one isn’t always the most dominant.
It’s all about personality, confidence and the desire to be the top bird.
Some simply don’t want that role.
Plus it usually doesn’t involve terrible fights.
I like that you’re willing to take it slow.
They’ll get used to seeing each other around.