California - Northern

[BCollie]

 
So I'm picking up 7 new chicks tomorrow. They'll be less than a day old, I'm getting them the day they hatch. Do they need to be quarantined first, or can they be put with the 2 or 3 week old chicks I've had for over a week now? The chicks I have now all seem to be very healthy.

There are two things to consider. First, are they coming from the same source or from a different breeder? If they are coming from another breeder, especially an unknown person or if you have not seen their facilities & birds, you should quarantine the new chicks. This will avoid introducing any possible illness to the others.

The second thing, like others have mentioned, day olds are so tiny and less agile. It's a good idea to keep them separate long enough to mature a bit. This will avoid any accidental injuries from the older chicks and let the new chicks get a better start, not having to compete for food or water.

Thank you. I think I will keep them separate for at least a week then.
They're coming from Papa Brooder on BYC, so I trust the source.

 

[CackleJoy]

Thank you. I think I will keep them separate for at least a week then.
They're coming from Papa Brooder on BYC, so I trust the source.

I've received chicks from him. They were all very healthy and active. So much FUN getting chicks in the mail!

 

[BCollie]

Thank you. I think I will keep them separate for at least a week then.

They're coming from Papa Brooder on BYC, so I trust the source.

I've received chicks from him.  They were all very healthy and active.  So much FUN getting chicks in the mail!

I'm glad to hear it! I'm picking mine up from him as he's only 15 minutes away from me. I get them tomorrow evening! Their brooder is all set up and ready to go.

 

[lawatt]

for what it's worth, i've now integrated 22 chicks in three different age groups in the past month, all starting in the brooder right at hatching, and had zero injuries or problems competing for food or anything. I actually think the little ones learn to eat & drink quicker by having someone larger to watch.

the only funny thing about the chicks still in the brooder (the second and third hatches) is that they WILL NOT attempt to eat anything that isn't their crumbles -- freeze-dried mealworms, which are caviar to all the other chickens, are completely ignored. same with the cooked carrot i just offered them -- they look at it, but won't try pecking it. i need to put some of the bigger chicks (who are already in one of the outdoor pens) back in just to show them what's tasty!

 

[chrissyr]

for what it's worth, i've now integrated 22 chicks in three different age groups in the past month, all starting in the brooder right at hatching, and had zero injuries or problems competing for food or anything. I actually think the little ones learn to eat & drink quicker by having someone larger to watch.

the only funny thing about the chicks still in the brooder (the second and third hatches) is that they WILL NOT attempt to eat anything that isn't their crumbles -- freeze-dried mealworms, which are caviar to all the other chickens, are completely ignored. same with the cooked carrot i just offered them -- they look at it, but won't try pecking it. i need to put some of the bigger chicks (who are already in one of the outdoor pens) back in just to show them what's tasty!

I think you need to post a thread on how you did this successfully. That's a great feat, that some have a hard time with. Great job!

 

[chrissyr]

Found this interesting thread on hatching.
One of the suggestions is sanding dark eggs for hatching, then misting with a iodine/water mix to sanitize. supposedly the sanding helps dark eggs hatch better.
anyone heard of this?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...crets-from-the-mahonri-2012-easter-hatchathon

 

[lawatt]

I think you need to post a thread on how you did this successfully. That's a great feat, that some have a hard time with. Great job!

I didn't do anything unusual, just put them in the brooder together. young chicks don't seem to have a pecking order really established yet, so the older ones just treated everyone the same.

similarly, once they were getting too big for the brooder, i took the six four-week-olds out & integrated with with five seven-week-olds in the grow-out pen outside -- again, just put them in together, with plenty of room for everyone -- and no problems. I will be interested to see if the next group can integrate in just as easily, when they hit four weeks.

in my view, it was worth a try -- as it's easy enough to separate them again if anyone appears to be too aggressive (or too weak/delicate). if it works, great -- if not, then go on to plan B -- but for me at least, it was a huge convenience to have it work, since i really hate using the old heat lamp for chicks instead of the EcoGlow, but i only have one of the latter.

 

[lawatt]

Found this interesting thread on hatching.
One of the suggestions is sanding dark eggs for hatching, then misting with a iodine/water mix to sanitize. supposedly the sanding helps dark eggs hatch better.
anyone heard of this?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...crets-from-the-mahonri-2012-easter-hatchathon

someone posted this recently in the marans thread, and nearly everyone was horrified -- sanding would likely remove much of the bloom, which protects eggs/embryos from bacteria infiltrating the egg -- and if chicks are so weak as to not be able to break through their shell at hatching, you probably don't want to raise those chicks, anyway, as they will likely be weak adults.

I've not had perfect hatches with marans, but never because a chick couldn't break through its shell.

 

[ronott1]

Found this interesting thread on hatching.
One of the suggestions is sanding dark eggs for hatching, then misting with a iodine/water mix to sanitize. supposedly the sanding helps dark eggs hatch better.
anyone heard of this?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...crets-from-the-mahonri-2012-easter-hatchathon

yes!

you have to be careful to not break the egg though. Weighing and adjusting humidity is safer.

Those are great tips though and they go into detail for flock management too.

 

[ronott1]

I had my oldest DD take some pictures for me. They are one splash, a Crele Pene x UofA blue and two Blue UofA Blues.












I hatched out about 20 chicks. I wanted to show a representation of them.