Hello everyone new to the site

[jade0206]

I just stated raising chickens about a year ago i have 8 rhode island reds and one rooster. this spring i put in and order to get a couple more chickens different breeds, from someone that hatched them and she is going to keep them for me till they get off the light. any advise on adding the new chicks?

Thanks

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, jade0206, and

! Great to have you here! Happy your flock is growing. There are lots of threads on BYC that have discussed adding chicks into an existing flock. I think the most important things are to make sure the little ones are fully feathered - 4 to 6 weeks depending on breed, and intro them slowly to the established birds. Do so in a way they have visual and proximal contact - but not actual mingling...like on the other side of the fence or in a wire dog kennel. After a couple days of this I will usually put the newbies into the coop with the older ones at dark - this is so they won't get picked on as much if at all in the dark. They get used to each others presence and the new sounds. And they all wake up together. In the a.m. I open the coop while it is still dark so they new ones aren't trapped in the coop with the old timers. This seems to work for me. There will be an adjust period as the pecking order re-establishes itself, with the new ones at the bottom - at least at first. For more thoughts on this topic type 'introducing chickens' into the BYC search bar. Good luck and have fun!!

 

[thasista]

Hi from KY! Good luck with your new chicks!

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

 

[TwoCrows]

from New Mexico! Enjoy your new babies!

 

[Going Bhonkers]

 

[Kevin565]

 

[weimarmama]

&

from Alabama. Glad you joined us.

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC.