A few random thoughts from a semi-newbie

[utefan_42]

Well, we are at week thirteen with our first chickens, and we have yet to loose one. (knock on wood) they seem to be really healthy, and enjoy the coop and the run. I have read on here that morning glory can be toxic, and I accidentally threw some in the run with some other weeds. By the time I realized what i had done i went running out and lo and behold they had eaten all the weeds except the morning glory. I don't know if it smells funny or tastes funny, but somehow they new to leave it alone. Also, we bought a couple more chicks three weeks ago and I have been stressing about how to introduce them to the older ones because they are so small in comparison. After reading all i could on the subject (thank you fellow BYC'rs) I decided to follow some of the advice on here and just watch and learn as I go. I put them in the coop in their brooder for the first two weeks, but they kept finding a way out of it so i decided that if they get out I would let them run around and see what happens. Well, those of you who have more experience than me know that the bigger girls can be really mean, so after they got pecked a few times (i didn't want to interfere to much) I created a place the smaller ones could get to to avoid the bigger ones. Now they still get pecked on a little, but they know where to go to get away from it. I also went out and put them on the roost with the big girls last night as a test, and when I woke up this morning I jumped out of bed and ran to the coop fearing i might have dead chicks on my hand but when i git there they were all just hanging out together as though they had been raised together the whole time. Do you think that one night on the roost together was enough, because I haven't put them in the brooder at all today and they all seem to be getting along a lot better today than yesterday. Here's to hoping it was that easy! I have learned so much in the last thirteen weeks, and I owe a big thanks to everyone on here for your advice and for being willing to share the good and the bad experiences. The knowledge gained from this site is WWAAAAAYYYY more than i could have gotten anywhere else. Thank you.

 

[desertgirl]

I read on here somewhere that when you introduce the little ones, it helps to do it at night ( from your story, it sounds like it works!).

I'll be testing it out in a few weeks...

 

[Judy]

Sounds like the night on the roost worked! I'd play it safe and leave their hiding place available for a few days, if you can, though.

 

[chickenfever]

I agree, I have learned more here on this forum than I think I could have from any book. There's nothing like advice from people who have experienced things already. I think it's just great! Good luck with your chicks. Isn't it great fun?