Adding Hypothetical Chickens to my Actual Flock...

[Aunt Angus]

Hi.

I'm thinking about the *distant* future and considering the possibility of letting one of my girls have chicks. Not any time soon, mind you. But I want to be prepared. As such, I have some background info and specific questions to ask, if y'all wouldn't mind humoring me.

Background info:

• I now have 4 standard sized pullets (Cochin, BR, Buff Brahma, BO).
• I have no roos. Hubby says he doesn't want one.
• My coop can house up to 8 birds pretty easily, and I can expand as needed. I have a large run, but the girls free range most of the day. Space isn't an issue. Trust me.
• I am only daydreaming here. Please don't skewer me. Especially since I swore I'd never fall prey to chicken math.

My questions:

1. If I can get a broody to adopt day olds, how few can I get away with sticking under her?
2. Can I stick chicks from TSC or somewhere similar, or would that be risking biosecurity issues?
3. Would it be possible to get bantams, or is that an integration nightmare waiting to happen?
4. Any breed suggestions for a mixed flock? I'm thinking Sussex, Ameraucana, Polish... or even a Silkie or a few bantams. Maybe.

TIA! And please be nice. This is all completely hypothetical.......

 

[Ribh]

I have a mixed flock: Australorps & Barred Rocks.We had a few issues the first week; my Aussies were laying & my Rocks were not. The Aussies tended to hog the food & water. Had to monitor to ensure no~one missed out. For a while I had 2 separate flocks. The Aussies hung together; the Rocks hung together, each with its alpha bird. As all my girls came on the lay they melded into one really happy little flock. They have a large [pretty safe] free range area & I have no pecking order disputes.

Sorry. Can't help you with chicks. Never done that. Think hubby would have a fit if I even suggested it.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I have a mixed flock: Australorps & Barred Rocks.We had a few issues the first week; my Aussies were laying & my Rocks were not. The Aussies tended to hog the food & water. Had to monitor to ensure no~one missed out. For a while I had 2 separate flocks. The Aussies hung together; the Rocks hung together, each with its alpha bird. As all my girls came on the lay they melded into one really happy little flock. They have a large [pretty safe] free range area & I have no pecking order disputes.

Sorry. Can't help you with chicks. Never done that. Think hubby would have a fit if I even suggested it.

LOL about the hubby! I understand completely!! Mine has actually commented that he misses the "little peepers," so I've got my fingers crossed that I can get him to come over to the dark side!

 

[Ribh]

LOL about the hubby! I understand completely!! Mine has actually commented that he misses the "little peepers," so I've got my fingers crossed that I can get him to come over to the dark side!

lol Mine, he of the * No more animals *, is talking about expanding my flock. Happy he will feed & water everybody if I have to be away.

 

[aart]

My coop can house up to 8 birds pretty easily

Won't 'skewer' you, but will poke you a bit, hypothetically.
Hmm....that roost you have is, what, 4' long?
Your coop and run is great, perfect for your 4 in your climate.
But the coop is the limiter....even if they free range most the time, they eventually have to go to roost and that's where battles can begin that can carry on all day.

If you really can expand your coop and run, do it before you get more birds, include a place to brood chicks. Getting chicks, and integrating them early, is the safest and easiest way to add birds, IMO....but it takes some planning, unless you want to do it in panic mode on the fly. Facility First...or 'which came first the chicken or the egg?'...the COOP!!

Counting on a broody is a crap shoot....but day old chicks under her could be as little as 1-2.

Never had bantams, but have read more stories where they are better apart(especially poofy-headed ones) than together. Getting them as chicks might help that.

 

[Shadrach]

I have absolutely no evidence for this and it is based entirely on how I feel, but I've never been happy with the idea of sticking random chicks under a broody mum.
If possible I would look for eggs from the same breed as your broody hen and slip those under her. The timing is a bit tight because you don't want the broody sitting for any longer then necessary. It can be done though.

 

[Abriana]

Hi.

I'm thinking about the *distant* future and considering the possibility of letting one of my girls have chicks. Not any time soon, mind you. But I want to be prepared. As such, I have some background info and specific questions to ask, if y'all wouldn't mind humoring me.

Background info:

• I now have 4 standard sized pullets (Cochin, BR, Buff Brahma, BO).
• I have no roos. Hubby says he doesn't want one.
• My coop can house up to 8 birds pretty easily, and I can expand as needed. I have a large run, but the girls free range most of the day. Space isn't an issue. Trust me.
• I am only daydreaming here. Please don't skewer me. Especially since I swore I'd never fall prey to chicken math.

My questions:

1. If I can get a broody to adopt day olds, how few can I get away with sticking under her?
2. Can I stick chicks from TSC or somewhere similar, or would that be risking biosecurity issues?
3. Would it be possible to get bantams, or is that an integration nightmare waiting to happen?
4. Any breed suggestions for a mixed flock? I'm thinking Sussex, Ameraucana, Polish... or even a Silkie or a few bantams. Maybe.

TIA! And please be nice. This is all completely hypothetical.......

You can get a broody to adopt day olds--when you see that you have a broody hen, put some fake eggs under her. Allow her to sit for around 21 days, give or take a day, and then during the night come out and put the chicks under her as quietly as possible, and remove the fake eggs..

I've added chicks from Southern States before with no problem. If you have a rooster just hatch your own, or if you don't you could ask a neighbor who has a roo for some fertile eggs. There is always the risk of bringing illness in.

I had a bantam with regular sized chickens for two years. This past Thursday she passed away. I never had any problems, she was very spunky and pretty smart. She knew how to make her way in the world. She was with my regular sized birds from day one, so I don't know how integration with a bantam would go.

I have a mixed breed flock and they do very well. I find that "birds of a feather flock together", ones of the same breed or color stick together. I would be careful of polish or silkie chickens. Often birds in the 'ornamental' class get picked on because of their fancy head feathers. Some flocks do fine with them, and others don't.

Enjoy your chicks!!

 

[Maya Vance]

Hi.

I'm thinking about the *distant* future and considering the possibility of letting one of my girls have chicks. Not any time soon, mind you. But I want to be prepared. As such, I have some background info and specific questions to ask, if y'all wouldn't mind humoring me.

Background info:

• I now have 4 standard sized pullets (Cochin, BR, Buff Brahma, BO).
• I have no roos. Hubby says he doesn't want one.
• My coop can house up to 8 birds pretty easily, and I can expand as needed. I have a large run, but the girls free range most of the day. Space isn't an issue. Trust me.
• I am only daydreaming here. Please don't skewer me. Especially since I swore I'd never fall prey to chicken math.

My questions:

1. If I can get a broody to adopt day olds, how few can I get away with sticking under her?
2. Can I stick chicks from TSC or somewhere similar, or would that be risking biosecurity issues?
3. Would it be possible to get bantams, or is that an integration nightmare waiting to happen?
4. Any breed suggestions for a mixed flock? I'm thinking Sussex, Ameraucana, Polish... or even a Silkie or a few bantams. Maybe.

TIA! And please be nice. This is all completely hypothetical.......

You can buy fertilized eggs online if you do not want a rooster. If you're working with day-olds, you can get away with putting about three under a hen. Hens aren't usually very fussy if they are finally allowed to sit on and raise eggs or chicks. Cochins are usually broody breeds, so I would use that one. I don't blame you for daydreaming. Chicks are pure fuzzy balls of adorableness. It is so cute to watch them respond to a mama hen.

 

[Maya Vance]

You can get a broody to adopt day olds--when you see that you have a broody hen, put some fake eggs under her. Allow her to sit for around 21 days, give or take a day, and then during the night come out and put the chicks under her as quietly as possible, and remove the fake eggs...

I agree. This is a good way to get a mama hen to accept the chicks, if you use day-olds.

 

[Maya Vance]

You can get a broody to adopt day olds--when you see that you have a broody hen, put some fake eggs under her. Allow her to sit for around 21 days, give or take a day, and then during the night come out and put the chicks under her as quietly as possible, and remove the fake eggs..

I've added chicks from Southern States before with no problem. If you have a rooster just hatch your own, or if you don't you could ask a neighbor who has a roo for some fertile eggs. There is always the risk of bringing illness in.

I had a bantam with regular sized chickens for two years. This past Thursday she passed away. I never had any problems, she was very spunky and pretty smart. She knew how to make her way in the world. She was with my regular sized birds from day one, so I don't know how integration with a bantam would go.

I have a mixed breed flock and they do very well. I find that "birds of a feather flock together", ones of the same breed or color stick together. I would be careful of polish or silkie chickens. Often birds in the 'ornamental' class get picked on because of their fancy head feathers. Some flocks do fine with them, and others don't.

Enjoy your chicks!!

R.I.P. bantam!