3 week old bantam Cochin chicks

[doobs]

I am a rookie an impatient one at that, so I turned my 10x10 wood shed into a coop and added a 10x10 ft run connected to the coop. I went to my local feed store and purchased a light brahma. she's laying an egg a day and a friendly hen. Then I found 4 bantam Cochin chicks 3 weeks old adorable the problem is my Brahma doesn't like the new chicks will this pass as the chicks get older or will my brahma need to find a new home?

 

[GreatPyrLover]

It takes a lil bit for them to learn to get along, maybe seperate through a fence for a lil bit so she can get use to them....or as long as she isn't hurting them let them stay with her.

 

[doobs]

Thanks for the advise the chicks are still very small I'll give them a few more weeks to get a little bigger and try again she was preaty mean the first time

 

[Stewarts]

Best advice I can give... Set up a large box that is completely closed in and make a large opening in one side, cover it with mesh. Add feed, water and the chicks. Put the box in with your Brahma so she can see them and they can see her. She was there first so she sees the coop as HERS and she's not interested in sharing with interlopers. When they get used to each other to the point where chicks in a box is no longer a threat or an issue with the Brahma, usually a month but you can spend time with them and get a feel for the timing, let the chicks out into the coop.

I have found that chicks, when bought or hatched together, form a unit and its usually for life. They don't easily accept someone new coming in. A lone chick or adult bird has a much tougher time integrating with the flock. By using this method you can have more success with integration because the chicks are exposed to your hen; they learn how to interact and socialize with her. Being alone, the Brahma may not know how to socialize with your chicks, that could be part of the problem. If a bird acts in any way, differently from the rest of the flock, the flock will reject the bird.

Such is the case with my lone meat hen, she's a different breed so she's huge compared with a regular chicken, but she is also extremely timid and the other birds would peck her to death if I didn't have her in the house. She's just too different from them.

Do this ASAP, the longer you wait, the longer and maybe harder it will be on the chicks and your Brahma.

 

[donrae]

3 week old chicks are WAY too young to go in a coop with adult hens. It's a good way to get dead chicks. The chicks need access to supplemental heat until they're fully feathered out, around 6 weeks, and it's best to wait until the chicks are older before introducing them to the mature hen. You'll always have a big size difference, but I'd still wait until the chicks are a good 3 months or so before putting them together.

 

[doobs]

Ok I still have the chicks in a cage with a heat lamp in the bathroom . I'll be putting them in a box with chicken wire to keep the brahma out or chicks in as it may be during day time hours only in the run. it's been getting low 40s high 30s at night here in apple valley ca so I'm going to wait untill they are fully featherd. one is way ahead of the pack 2 look identical and ones a runt all adorable. when I figure out how to post a pic I will. thanks everyone for the help much appreciated

 

[gander007]

Well for one they are small and not a lot of room for the chicks to hide
so it should take one to two weeks as the chicks get bigger the friendless
will come about ... Sounds like a very nice chicken coop .....

gander007

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Chicks should be integrated with older chickens when they are about the same size as the older chicken. Older chickens can kill chicks.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

3 week old chicks are WAY too young to go in a coop with adult hens. It's a good way to get dead chicks. The chicks need access to supplemental heat until they're fully feathered out, around 6 weeks, and it's best to wait until the chicks are older before introducing them to the mature hen. You'll always have a big size difference, but I'd still wait until the chicks are a good 3 months or so before putting them together.

x2

 

[doobs]

Thanks for all the advise everyone chicks are doing great getting bigger by the day loving the time they get outdoors when it's sunny thanks again