Greetings from Nebraska

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mbdukz

mbdukz

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Im new to chickens and obviously this site... I have five Rhode Island Red chicks (4 weeks old) and one Maran Roo. (unknown age, but 2-3 times the size of the reds) I have an 10 acres just outside of Omaha and am in the process of building their coop. I have a couple of questions... 1. When can I put the birds in their coop and can they all go in together or do I need to let the chicks get the same size as the rooster before I combine them? 2. I have an old fenced in dog run with a cover for the birds to get outside of their coop but still be protected from the elements and predators, but If they free range during the day, are they at risk if I am out there with them or do the hawks and owls avoid them if they are near humans. I wouldn't be but a few feet away if they free range.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! It is usually recommended to wait until the birds are about the same size before you combine them, and then do it gradually, a long period of seeing but no touching through wire works really well, ie if you split the coop into sections or have a cage in the coop/run for some of the birds. There is a really nice article in the Learning Center on adding chickens to your flock www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock Since your roo is older than the RIR (are they sexed pullets or could you have rooster also?) You may want to wait until they are laying eggs or really close to it since he may start trying to breed them before they are ready. It is also usually recommended to have around ten hens per rooster or the hens tend to get over mated.

Most hawks/ owls will be deterred by people being present, but some hawks will attack birds with people pretty close, you might check out the Predators forum, there are a lot of threads on dealing with hawks. www.backyardchickens.com/f/13/predators-and-pests

You might like to check out the BYC Learning Center, lots of good articles on all aspects of chicken keeping. https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center And it is always fun to check out your state thread for chicken keeping neighbors https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/172734/nebraskans-speak-up-nebraska-rocks
 
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Welcome to BYC!

And congrats on your new flock! Kelsie has you on a great path and given you great info. Good luck with all your poultry adventures and welcome to our flock!
 

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