Adding chicks to chicks?

[Alagirl]

I ventured into the chick store today (I bought cat food)
They had a bunch of new chicks in, but like 7 or 8 kinds in 3 tanks....
I was tempted to get a couple of fo the kinds I don't have yet, but A) I am near jy self-imposed capacity, and B) I have had my chicks for not quite a week, I did not want to toss another handful of birds into the mix, Bio security and all.
Considering they probably get their wares from the same hatchery at all times, how much risk would it be to add new chicks 5 days later?
The setup was not ideal, No telling what chicks I would have brought home either (so it was not too hard to pass the up. but lordy! Chickens are like potato chips....one kind just does not cut it!)

 

[rosemarythyme]

Considering they probably get their wares from the same hatchery at all times, how much risk would it be to add new chicks 5 days later?

Probably fairly low, depending on 1) if avian flu is currently an issue in your area and 2) what the store's policies are in terms of customer interaction with the chicks (i.e. is it employees only handling them, or do they allow anyone who walks in the store to touch them?)

 

[Blooie]

I mix chicks all the time. This year we first bought 1 Light Brahma and 2 Buff Brahmas from a feed store because the hatchery I use didn’t have any. They were all 4 days old. A week later my hatchery order came in so that added 7 more 3 day old chicks to the mix - 2 Olive Eggers, 2 Brown Leghorns, 1 Partridge Olive Egger, 1 Crested Cream Legbar, and 1 Blue/Black/Splash Marans. And a week after that I got 1 Blue Andalusian, 1 Bielefelder, 1 more Crested Cream Legbar, and 1 Dark Brahma, all 3 days old. They are all living happily together out in the coop.

 

[Alagirl]

Probably fairly low, depending on 1) if avian flu is currently an issue in your area and 2) what the store's policies are in terms of customer interaction with the chicks (i.e. is it employees only handling them, or do they allow anyone who walks in the store to touch them?)

they have the chicks locked away so you can look but not touch.

as tempting as it is I think I will let reason rule for now. I am at my capacity for now. I am a beginner and don't know yet how the 5 birds I have will work out for me (and if I have 5 pullets, or 4 plus one little roo.)

Bird flu isn't a thing yet, then again the human pandemic was not taken very seriously either.

 

[3KillerBs]

I mix chicks all the time. This year we first bought 1 Light Brahma and 2 Buff Brahmas from a feed store because the hatchery I use didn’t have any. They were all 4 days old. A week later my hatchery order came in so that added 7 more 3 day old chicks to the mix - 2 Olive Eggers, 2 Brown Leghorns, 1 Partridge Olive Egger, 1 Crested Cream Legbar, and 1 Blue/Black/Splash Marans. And a week after that I got 1 Blue Andalusian, 1 Bielefelder, 1 more Crested Cream Legbar, and 1 Dark Brahma, all 3 days old. They are all living happily together out in the coop.

View attachment 3125504

I'm guessing that you don't have your chicks in a tiny plastic tub so there's plenty of room for them to spread out and do something other than pick on other chicks.

When I got my first chicks for the new property 2 years ago most of them were 2-day-olds that had just gotten in that morning. But I also had 2 Brahmas that were already 2 weeks old and had no issues (possibly in part because Brahmas are slow maturing so after a week or two they were not so very far off in development).

as tempting as it is I think I will let reason rule for now. I am at my capacity for now. I am a beginner and don't know yet how the 5 birds I have will work out for me (and if I have 5 pullets, or 4 plus one little roo.)

This is wise.

Next year you can add more -- it's better to have a mixed age flock anyway so that they don't all go out of lay to molt at the same time.

 

[Alagirl]

I mix chicks all the time. This year we first bought 1 Light Brahma and 2 Buff Brahmas from a feed store because the hatchery I use didn’t have any. They were all 4 days old. A week later my hatchery order came in so that added 7 more 3 day old chicks to the mix - 2 Olive Eggers, 2 Brown Leghorns, 1 Partridge Olive Egger, 1 Crested Cream Legbar, and 1 Blue/Black/Splash Marans. And a week after that I got 1 Blue Andalusian, 1 Bielefelder, 1 more Crested Cream Legbar, and 1 Dark Brahma, all 3 days old. They are all living happily together out in the coop.

View attachment 3125504

What do you have in that pan?

 

[Blooie]

What do you have in that pan?

Dirt. Just plain old dirt from the yard. We also throw a clump of sod….roots, grasses, weeds, bugs, and all….into the brooder when they are just a few days old. They love it.

 

[Alagirl]

I just added the grit. maybe dirt is next, I have plenty.

 

[Alagirl]

I'm guessing that you don't have your chicks in a tiny plastic tub so there's plenty of room for them to spread out and do something other than pick on other chicks.

When I got my first chicks for the new property 2 years ago most of them were 2-day-olds that had just gotten in that morning. But I also had 2 Brahmas that were already 2 weeks old and had no issues (possibly in part because Brahmas are slow maturing so after a week or two they were not so very far off in development).



This is wise.

Next year you can add more -- it's better to have a mixed age flock anyway so that they don't all go out of lay to molt at the same time.

LOL, no, a 4 foot redneck cardboard enclosure.

But I am sticking with my 5 for right now.
I hope.