Debating on adding more chickens to my flock..

[sourland]

Introducing a second rooster to and established flock will almost guarantee fighting 100 %. The ration of 10 hens to 1 rooster is a generalized rule of thumb with the intent of maximizing fertility. In my experience given enough space geese and chickens cohabit favorably; although problems frequently arise during the breeding season for the geese.

 

[Kaford]

Thank you all for your responses! I appreciate all of your input.

 

[Iluveggers]

Personally, I would wait & put in a small chick order for early spring. You can pick the breeds you want and hand raise them. You can integrate slowly, letting the chicks in a small enclosure in the run. The hens will be less threatened by the chicks and the chicks will have big girls to learn from. Also, they will start laying at the latest in the fall when your older hens go through molt, so you will have eggs during the no-laying molt. Finally with chicks you don’t have to quarantine if you get them from a legitimate hatchery. Also, 2 Roos to 8 hens seems like they will get overbred and the roosters could fight since there aren’t enough girls to go around. If you bring in adult birds, I’d suggest you quarantine and change clothes/shoes before entering your old flock in case they have anything.
Just my 2 cents. Hope that helps!

 

[The Moonshiner]

NO! Please! Goslings have to be raised with the chicks to be integrated. Your geese WILL kill your chickens. Please don't!!

I've never had this happen.
But I've also never had a goose or geese that cared anything about protecting a flock.

 

[Kaford]

Personally, I would wait put in a small chick order for early spring. You can pick the breeds you want and hand raise them. You can integrate slowly, letting the chicks in a small enclosure in the run. The hens will be less threatened by the chicks and the chicks will have big girls to learn from. Also, they will start laying at the latest in the fall when your older hens go through molt, so you will have eggs during the no-laying molt. Finally with chicks you don’t have to quarantine if you get them from a legitimate hatchery. Also, 2 Roos to 8 hens seems like they will get overbred and the roosters could fight since there aren’t enough girls to go around. If you bring in adult birds, I’d suggest you quarantine and change clothes/shoes before entering your old flock in case they have anything.
Just my 2 cents. Hope that helps!

Thank you so much! Yes that makes a lot of sense I really appreciate your feedback! I think I will definitely go that route if and when we decide to add more ladies! I think im definitely going to stick with my one guy.. hes still fairly young I feel like so he's still coming into his own and I don't want him to get picked on.. (I'm ridiculous I know lol).. any advice on integrating goslings with the chickens?

 

[Iluveggers]

I know nothing about goslings! I’m sure someone else will be able to help though!

 

[Kaford]

I know nothing about goslings! I’m sure someone else will be able to help though!

I definitely appreciate your help!

 

[Sally PB]

As someone else said, I'd wait until spring. Also, how much space do you have? Do you have room for more? Do you need to add on?

The general rule of thumb is 4 sf/chicken in the coop, 10sf in the run, and 1 foot of roost space. That is a general recommendation, not a hard and fast rule. It is a minimum, at least.

What are your goals with having chickens? It's easy to add them (oh, boy, is it easy!), but much harder to subtract them.

 

[Kaford]

As someone else said, I'd wait until spring. Also, how much space do you have? Do you have room for more? Do you need to add on?

The general rule of thumb is 4 sf/chicken in the coop, 10sf in the run, and 1 foot of roost space. That is a general recommendation, not a hard and fast rule. It is a minimum, at least.

What are your goals with having chickens? It's easy to add them (oh, boy, is it easy!), but much harder to subtract them.

Thank you! My goals are just the egg collection that I've been doing with them.. and just really having them as pets. I don't need more by any means just curious if I had decided on it if it would be easy or not!

 

[Mrs. K]

Build before you add. Right now, the birds you have are probably not quite full grown. What looks like a lot of room for chicks, turns out not to be enough room for full size chickens. Over crowding, especially during the winter can cause a lot of problems.

To keep two roosters, I would want 20 birds... not so much that each rooster will take 10 hens and all be happy, they won't. But people that have flocks of 20+ birds, have LARGE set ups, roosters need more room than hens.

Do measure your set up, then calculate the number of birds.

But the best advice would be to wait a year, next spring, add some chicks, the year after that, fill your set up with chicks again, along the way, you will loose a bird or two. This build a good multi-generational flock, with strong dynamics. It keeps young birds in your flock.

Mrs K