I'm so sorry. You were so excited about that silkie chick, and it must be terrible for Perdita. And having to put down poor Gryffyn just now makes it especially hard.
There are a lot of heartaches with chickens, and when they happen so close to one another it just feels overwhelming.
You've had very good advice. I still want to chime in, because it has also been a question I have thought a lot about.
I wasn't of a mind to add more chickens. I felt fine with my original six ex-batts. I will tell the truth, when I got Théo and Chipie, then seven months later Chipie's chicks, it added a whole lot of trouble and worries. For one thing, in both cases integration did not go well. Then, I went from no rooster and a cohesive group of six ladies that grew up together, to a tyrant tiny roo that hated me, a hatch of chicks that was rejected by the flock and especially by the roo, and on to two roosters that hated each other.
And yet I did make the choice to add more. And I have to say now I have 19, it's actually working out better than last year when I had 10. The dynamic of the flock is shifting. The roosters have stopped fighting now there is a clear hierarchy. The chickens still quarrel but they are not focused on bullying one specific chicken. And like RC, I'm personally much less attached to the chicks and new pullets than to the original girls and Chipie's first hatch, so I feel less stress. I think it's a reaction from too much sorrow, and also it's the realization that taking a step back can actually help things work out better.
More chickens, does however mean more chance that they will get in trouble simultaneously. You are already experiencing this with loosing Popcorn, and worrying for Butters. When I have more than three chickens requiring special care at the same time, it gets really complicated - even isolating them physically becomes a challenge.
So yes, I think on the whole not getting all of them at the same time is a good idea in the sense that the younger ones should likely be less prone to health issue- though of course it doesn't always work like this. It will mean two different integrations, and when integrations go well, it's almost fun, but when it doesn't it can be very trying. But once it's done, it's over. And if you get two coops the following year, it will help to solve many potential issues.
In the end I have mixed feelings about numbers. My first add-ons made things a lot harder. The four adult pullets we bought this year socially worked out great for the flock, but they brought in health issues. And the six additional chicks are integrating great, but like most of FBA followers, we won't be able to keep the roosters. It's not all black and white and always a bit of a gamble.
Tax : it looks more and more like Léa's six chicks are four pullets, and two roos...so the early wattles (two weeks and three days) were maybe not conclusive. They will be ten weeks old Saturday.
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