Adding a chick

[katieuppi]

I finally got my 4 couple day old chicks on Tuesday. An Ameraucana that is a few days younger became available and I'd like to add her to my other 4 chicks tomorrow. My girls are calm and get along well. They don't boss or push each other around, or peck or pick each other. They have plenty of space,and have dirt and sod to scratch around in for enrichment. Have the girls established any kind of social order at this point that might be upset by a new bird? I would hate for someone to start getting picked on.

Thanks so much!

 

[azygous]

Chicks do not have a pecking order. They are indifferent to new chicks during the first few weeks.

However, they are sensitive to size differences, and since chicks double in size every week, by the third or fourth week, it can get to be too much of a size difference if you wanted to add a chick a couple days old to three-week or four-week olds. But you could still add chicks as long as they match in size during the later weeks.

By age six weeks, chicks are becoming socialized, and they will challenge newcomers.

But there are always exceptions.

 

[katieuppi]

Chicks do not have a pecking order. They are indifferent to new chicks during the first few weeks.

However, they are sensitive to size differences, and since chicks double in size every week, by the third or fourth week, it can get to be too much of a size difference if you wanted to add a chick a couple days old to three-week or four-week olds. But you could still add chicks as long as they match in size during the later weeks.

By age six weeks, chicks are becoming socialized, and they will challenge newcomers.

But there are always exceptions.

Thank you so much