Does anyone take chicks away from momma?

[lynallison]

I have a small batch of mixed breed chicks that I hatched in my incubator. They are now 9 days old and doing well in an aquarium in my dining room. They have a heat lamp, chick starter feed, and water with electrolyte supplement. I also have 3 Silkies that live in a coop outside. 2 hens and 1 rooster. The 2 "sister wives" have been sitting on a clutch of silkie eggs for a few weeks now, eggs that were laid over the course of a couple weeks (that is, we found a new egg under momma every couple days until she was sitting on 12) The first 4 that momma hatched were taken away and put in the aquarium with the other babies. Now however, we're getting a new hatchling every 3-4 days and the rest of the group is 9+ days old. How old is too old to introduce new young babies into the aquarium. I don't want to leave them out with momma because the adult chickens eat layer crumbles and scratch, plus they don't have electrolyte supplement in the water. What does everyone else do?

 

[murphyfarm]

I have heard people who recommend separating the chicks, but, personally, I usually just put them all together. I've never had a problem with age differences in chicks.

 

[MeepBeep]

Just watch them for a bit when you add them to the brooder, it should be obvious pretty quickly if they are not going to get along... Do ignore the normal pecking and curiosity towards the newbies, that is normal... I have personally never had a problem with a brooder mix of day 1 chicks to about 1 month old chicks...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If you decide to leave some chicks with the mom, you can switch everyone over to a non medicated starter grower, my bantam eat it full time. There's no need for supplements in the water either. My bantam chicks are raised in the flock.

Another option is to divide your brooder with wire and keep the young ones separate until they get stronger.