merrittfam
Hatching
- Apr 19, 2015
- 2
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Hi, I'm so happy to have found this resource as our family of four is newly embarking on a chicken adventure. We recently acquired 4 laying hens and have ordered an additional 25 chicks for May 1st. As of day one all 4 hens have produced, I guess theyre happy in their new coop!
and Welcome To BYC! Most people recommend waiting until the younger birds are about the same size as the older ones and to have a long period of the two flocks being able to see each other but no touching... through wire seem to work best, ie dividing the coop into two sections or keeping the new/younger ones in a cage inside the coup for a couple of weeks to a month at least. The chickens will get to know each other and sort of work out a pecking order before actually coming in contact with each other. After a week or two, letting them free range together is a good idea and should help... It will take a couple of weeks to get the pecking order sorted out. There is a nice article in the Learning Center on integrating flocks you might like to check out, the part about actually combining them is after the quarantine section
