Getting chicks!!!!!!

[mrbstephens]

I ordered four chickies to add to my flock of 6 in April!!!

Currently I have 5 hens and one rooster about 10 months old. I have an area in the garage for the new arrivals to live until they are ready for the outdoors. Please give me some advice as to how to integrate my newbies to my older chickens. Thanks!

 

[mrbstephens]

 

[mrbstephens]

 

[PunkinPeep]

Normally, you wouldn't add chicks to a full grown flock until they are roughly the same size.

I would get them used to each other by free ranging them together. This way, the babies can run away if they're in danger if an older chicken is being aggressive.

You can also house them together in the coop separated by a fence that allows them to see each other but not get to each other.

There are a lot of methods for integrating. Those are a couple.

What kind of chicks did you get?

 

[mrbstephens]

1 barred rock, 1 speckled sussex, 1 buff orpington, and 1 gold laced wyandotte.

So when the chicks are about 8 weeks old I can let them free range with the big chickens for several days before integrating them?

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
You can try it - i would probably try it at that age - but be prepared to house them separately because depending on the temperaments of your chickens, they are likely to not have peace with that big difference. You never know though, so you partly have to use your gut instinct. I would personally start free ranging them together as soon as the weather is nice enough to let your chicks out for a while. But that's me. I definitely wouldn't wait until 8 weeks to put them outside....but that's probably a different question (sorry)

 

[dawg53]

When your new chicks get older and able to go outside, I recommend you place them in an area close to your older chickens so that they can see each other/get used to each other,yet seperated. Then at about the 2 week mark, put your newbies in the chicken house in the middle of the night with your older chickens. This will be less stressful for them. When they get up and leave the chicken house the next morning,the older ones will believe everything is status quo and go about their business. There may be some squabbling though,setting the pecking order straight. You'll have to monitor them for a day or two before they work it out.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I would not add them until they are the same size as the hens. Been there done that and had blood shed

It's just to stressful on the little ones. And before adding allow them to be fenced in the same hen house for at least a week maybe two if you can before letting them lose. Watch them for a few hours and the first night put the little ones back in the separate cage or get up really early to watch again. Chickens can be VERY cruel

 

[mrbstephens]

What I'm thinking is letting them free range seperately when the weather is nice enough for them to go outside and when they reach about 8 weeks let them free range together. The hen house is raised 2 foot off the ground. I have a large cage my husband built years ago out of mahogany and hard ware cloth that I housed a couple of injured turtles in. I had been using it to keep the containers of feed and scratch in. I could use it to house the newbies and night. I could move it next to the hen house and put hardware cloth around the bottom of it as a run for the new ones. Too bad that turtle cage is so darn heavy.....not looking forward to moving it again!