Chicks and other chickens

[sevenofus]

I've learned a lot by reading these boards!

I have 4 chicks that are a week old now. They are with their mom (actually a silkie who hatched them, but they weren't her eggs!) in a secure area but I can tell the mom really wants to come out of confinement. I'm afraid to leave the door open because we have 5 other hens (1 caged up roo!), 3 goats, lots of cats and 5 small children.... I barely survive all of them, not sure how the chicks would fair!?! It's also unusually cold right now, a little warmer today maybe upper 50's. How long until I can let them come and go as they (or their mom) please? I can coral the goats and kids, are the chicks safe with the other hens?

Thank you!

 

[michiganer]

I'm bumping this post because I have the same issue. I have a banty frizzle with 6 chicks that are only a week old. She is in a secure area but I want to let her outside. I have 20 hens and 2 roosters. I'm afraid they will hurt the babies. Can someone let us know if it is safe? Will the other chickens just realize they are babies and leave them alone? Thanks!

 

[SanMarcos Yolkal]

We have four older hens and just today got two chicks, about 2 weeks old. The guy at Amkon, local feed store, told me to introduce them and you would be able to tell in about 5 minutes if there was going to be an issue.

It's funny because at first the big girls were talking loudly and darting away from the chicks

We have a nice sized coop and a chicken run. The big ones were stand offish and finally ran around them to get out and rummage in the yard. Finally we rounded them back up into the run. The big girls were still a little unsure and very loud for awhile, as if we didn't know these creatures were in their space. The chicks now are in the coop napping and the big girls are finally quiet. It's been 5 hours and everybody is getting along great.
So, this is my first time to introduce chicks to the big girls. I suggest, to take 5 undisturbed minutes, it's so fun to watch anyways, and see how it goes. Then it may be a good idea to be around and in hearing range for awhile longer to be sure. I didn't look this up any further then the words of my feedstore salesman. I came here for some further advice and thought I would share my experience. Happy if it helps!

 

[sevenofus]

That's a funny story. I love stories about animals doing the opposite of what we think should happen. My chickens chase my cats off all the time!

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

I was dumb, and put my 5 day olds out in a pen in the yard... Without inspecting it... there was a BIG hole.. and 3 of the grown up hens hopped in... I was on the other side of the yard, and looked over, and was like OMG!!! And I ran over and the big chickens were just eating the baby-food and drinking their water... not attacking or anything... so I think it depends on the chickens... I kicked the big ones out anyway though...

 

[michiganer]

I think I will try that. I will put a smaller pen into the run so they can all see each other. Maybe my hens will get used to seeing CocoPuff with her babies and once I take the pen away, they will all ignore her. I guess I can only do what I can do and leave the rest up to nature...

 

[SanMarcos Yolkal]

So Monday and Tuesday night went fine. All day Wednsday all were doing great. The chicks were coming out of the coop and exploring, the big girls left them alone. The chicks were checked on at 5pm. Then at 5:30 pm my son went to check on them and one was missing! No evidence of it ever existing

I am not sure what in the world happened.) do you think A heron would feast on a chick?
Then, I took the other chick out of the coop so I could investigate more and one of our Jersey Girls started chaising her!
I thought all was well and now I am bummed. I will get another chick today so my little one isn't lonely.
My new plan is to keep them in a cage when I am not around untill they are a lot bigger. "Seven of us", I like the idea of putting it in the run so they can get used to them. I may even put the cage in the coop at night. Errrr, i am saddened

 

[sevenofus]

That's so sad. I'm sorry about the one you lost.
We don't have a run, during the day our chickens are free range so when the hens we have now were babies we would take them outside in a dog carrier (a metal one with a slide out tray on the bottom) and let them scratch at the ground and get used to the world. Then we took their big homemade house that they had been living in (in our bathroom) and left them in that outside for a couple of days when they were old enough to be out.
Our temps are warming up a little this week so maybe over the weekend or next week I'll do the same thing with putting them in the yard in the dog crate. Their little house they live in now is inside the big pen/coop where all of ou hens and our goats sleep so they should all be very used to their sounds and they can see into it a little.

Best wishes with your new chick!

 

[SanMarcos Yolkal]

Our "cage" is also the metal dog kennel. We have a run beacause our dogs are only good with the girls if we are there to keep their manners in check. I let them free in the yard when I am home or dogs are in. I let the babies free in the yard and the big girls haven't bothered them. Do you think the babies should be given more restraints? I mean do I need to be catious what they peck at and such? Oh man I am here in texas so we have definite spring weather already, 70's. Each day is a new day. I hope everyone is friendly tomorrow.
Oh and by the way I did get the new chick today, it's from the same litter.

 

[pdsavage]

Never put chicks in with older hens,the full grown hens will kill them.Wait untill the chicks are closer to the size of the hens.
As for the broody you can see how well it goes under supervision,the hen will protect the chicks,but if there is not enough space to get away it will be to stressfull.