Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Kansas Prairie]

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Same thing here in South Kansas, it's our SECOND year of drought. Fewer prairie fires this year, guess less to burn and since we can see for 20 miles or more the community heads for the smoke with tractors and shovels and we get them put out ASAP! Sandburrs are taking over, hope they will keep the topsoil from blowing away this winter. Many sold off most or all of their livestock. If this a weather cycle, I'm sure ready for a wet cycle. We are thankful for what we have and every drop of moisture we received.

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote: If you have a way to, try putting the chicks in the coop where the older hens are now......move the hens to a different location...perhaps the pen the chicks know as home. Leave them separate for a few days in this arrangement. This will give the chicks a chance to explore the new pen without the hens harrassing them. If you want to make "hidey places" put them in the coop so the chicks can become accustom to them with the hens around. When you reintroduce them, the chicks will know where the "getaway" places and exits are. The key is having enough space for the chicks to escape if they need to.

 

[normanack]

If you have a way to, try putting the chicks in the coop where the older hens are now......move the hens to a different location...perhaps the pen the chicks know as home. Leave them separate for a few days in this arrangement. This will give the chicks a chance to explore the new pen without the hens harrassing them. If you want to make "hidey places" put them in the coop so the chicks can become accustom to them with the hens around. When you reintroduce them, the chicks will know where the "getaway" places and exits are. The key is having enough space for the chicks to escape if they need to.

Sounds logical and do-able, thanks! I'll work on that tomorrow.

I really wish I had more space -- and especially wish I was comfortable free-ranging them, but even though we're semi-rural, we do have neighbors with pretty lawns and roads with fast traffic, and loose dogs. (Also coyotes, foxes, raccoons, hawks, etc.) I am plotting to increase the fenced area far more than my husband currently imagines.

 

[Celie]

Sorry...I am no help at all. I've truly never had that happen before. I've integrated my whole flock with a batch of 30 3-4 wk old chicks and never had an incident like you described. The new chicks all traveled together and the old flock all did their thing and there was no mass bullying going on of the youngsters. Done that a couple of different times without any incidents....you've got me stumped on that one.

I got nothing.....

I no nothing, but I have seen in my flocks, if I introduce 30 or 40 at a time, the adults seem to leave them alone, safety in numbers, maybe, but when introducing just a few, I have to give them somewhere to run. All of my birds go into a 30x50 barn at night. I have a 10'x10 chain link dog Kennel in there, for the bitties, when I put them out. They have their own feeder and waterer, so they can eat and drink by themselves . While they are small they can scoot in and out between the chain links, to run away from the adults without being followed. In a few days, they will find their pecking order and where they belong in the flock. By the time they cannot fit thorough the fencing, they are part of the flock. This works for me and in 7 yrs. I have only lost 2 chicks, and I am not sure if they were killed by an adult or not, as they did not show any signs of pecking. They might have gotten stepped on in the dark, because they were killed at night, or at least before I opened the barn doors the next morning, outside the fencing, after being there for 4 or 5 days. Other than i got nothing, either.....

 

[normanack]

I'm beginning to think that the amount of space per chicken should be much, much larger than the usual number of square feet recommended in all those books . . . and that the problem I'm having integrating chicks -- despite "technically" having enough space -- is a result, mainly, of not enough space.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I'm beginning to think that the amount of space per chicken should be much, much larger than the usual number of square feet recommended in all those books . . . and that the problem I'm having integrating chicks -- despite "technically" having enough space -- is a result, mainly, of not enough space.

For that and a dozen other reasons, I have never been a big fan of those "recommended square footage" deals so often quoted. I find most of them so very questionable.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm beginning to think that the amount of space per chicken should be much, much larger than the usual number of square feet recommended in all those books . . . and that the problem I'm having integrating chicks -- despite "technically" having enough space -- is a result, mainly, of not enough space.

Most definitely. Since my flocks free range, the youngsters have the huge outdoors to escape to when confronted with the fat girls. In the end, the youngsters can boot and scoot far faster than the heavy ladies...any day of the week. They learn quickly to not even go in the coop during feeding time and they wait politely outside the pop door until the older birds have their fill and leave the coop. Same thing happens at roosting time...all the youngers wait until the oldsters are up and then they fill in the gaps on the lower, outer roosting areas.

 

[Celie]

Most definitely. Since my flocks free range, the youngsters have the huge outdoors to escape to when confronted with the fat girls. In the end, the youngsters can boot and scoot far faster than the heavy ladies...any day of the week.

Ain't that the truth, they scramble like little roaches.

 

[thedragonlady]

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Now's the time to start feeding some boss, and whole corn to keep them warm.

 

[thedragonlady]

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Does no one but me use a creep feeder in the main run when introducing chicks??? It just takes a 4'x 4' space with food and water and a slot the chicks can get through, to stop all the trama. Chicks not getting enough food, growing poorly, and perhaps being killed? Never lost one yet.My Very large Orps start laying at 6 mos, because they have never been stunted by not enough food, water, or stress.