rottngrrl
Chirping
This is modified from my introduction post earlier today…
My chicken math TOTALLY SUCKS!!! LOL We are still raising our "first batch" of chickens ranging in ages 2-3 months old (hatch ~April 15 through May 13)...and are expecting another batch next week from Meyers Hatchery (this time with a PROPER brooder). The 40 hens and bantam white Cochin rooster are currently housed in a temporary 4' x 18' long coop (enclosed, ventilated, sliding door to tuck them in at night) attached to an 8' x 45' fenced and netted run while we build their permanent home. The permanent coop will be 8' x 12' with ~20 nesting boxes and the attached run will be roughly 30' x 50' fenced and netted (don't want the many eagles flying off with our ladies!!!). We are talking about owning a lot of chickens here; we intend to maintain a fluctuating flock of about 40 hens and a few roosters, but we are starting with more than that at around 60 birds (40 now + 20 coming). Go big or go home, right?
So far, we newbies have learned A LOT (and still have a LOT more to learn), but apparently we don't "remember" very well because we are headed down the "raising some chicks" road again so soon! It really DOES take SOOO much time and effort and attention and handling and cleaning and dusting and OMG! But the chickens and all their personalities are totally worth it!! Our first girls will be moving into their permanent digs in about a month, but one question I cannot seem to find the answer to is how to introduce the upcoming, new chicks to the first bunch who will only be getting ready to lay eggs (some maybe sooner, many likely later like the Brahmas). The chicks will be ready to move outside when they are around 8 weeks old, so around late September/early October (taking into account the weather getting cooler), which means the first bunch will be around 4-5 months old and will have lived in the permanent coop/run for about a month. Do we need to do an extended introduction when transitioning 20, 8 week old chicks over to living in the permanent coop with the 5 month old chickens, or because they are all so relatively young and there are so many of them, do we just toss them in with the original bunch and monitor? I feel like it's a stupid question to ask, but I honestly don't know because I can only find info on transitioning brooder-raised chicks in with an established, adult flock.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, once all the girls are settled in and clearly know where (and when) to go to roost at night, in addition to their regular 1500 sq ft run, they will have chaperoned access to 2 separate yards used for vegetable gardening and nursery stock (plants), so they will sorta be free-ranged on those days; probably a few days a week depending on the weather. But no chaperone, probably no field access because of the abundance of eagles, etc. (and there are other ground critters that would more than likely love to have chicken dinner, too!).
I hope that posting a modified question here was ok.
Thank you.
Jeannie
My chicken math TOTALLY SUCKS!!! LOL We are still raising our "first batch" of chickens ranging in ages 2-3 months old (hatch ~April 15 through May 13)...and are expecting another batch next week from Meyers Hatchery (this time with a PROPER brooder). The 40 hens and bantam white Cochin rooster are currently housed in a temporary 4' x 18' long coop (enclosed, ventilated, sliding door to tuck them in at night) attached to an 8' x 45' fenced and netted run while we build their permanent home. The permanent coop will be 8' x 12' with ~20 nesting boxes and the attached run will be roughly 30' x 50' fenced and netted (don't want the many eagles flying off with our ladies!!!). We are talking about owning a lot of chickens here; we intend to maintain a fluctuating flock of about 40 hens and a few roosters, but we are starting with more than that at around 60 birds (40 now + 20 coming). Go big or go home, right?
So far, we newbies have learned A LOT (and still have a LOT more to learn), but apparently we don't "remember" very well because we are headed down the "raising some chicks" road again so soon! It really DOES take SOOO much time and effort and attention and handling and cleaning and dusting and OMG! But the chickens and all their personalities are totally worth it!! Our first girls will be moving into their permanent digs in about a month, but one question I cannot seem to find the answer to is how to introduce the upcoming, new chicks to the first bunch who will only be getting ready to lay eggs (some maybe sooner, many likely later like the Brahmas). The chicks will be ready to move outside when they are around 8 weeks old, so around late September/early October (taking into account the weather getting cooler), which means the first bunch will be around 4-5 months old and will have lived in the permanent coop/run for about a month. Do we need to do an extended introduction when transitioning 20, 8 week old chicks over to living in the permanent coop with the 5 month old chickens, or because they are all so relatively young and there are so many of them, do we just toss them in with the original bunch and monitor? I feel like it's a stupid question to ask, but I honestly don't know because I can only find info on transitioning brooder-raised chicks in with an established, adult flock.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, once all the girls are settled in and clearly know where (and when) to go to roost at night, in addition to their regular 1500 sq ft run, they will have chaperoned access to 2 separate yards used for vegetable gardening and nursery stock (plants), so they will sorta be free-ranged on those days; probably a few days a week depending on the weather. But no chaperone, probably no field access because of the abundance of eagles, etc. (and there are other ground critters that would more than likely love to have chicken dinner, too!).
I hope that posting a modified question here was ok.
Thank you.
Jeannie