Hi All, I'm trying to figure out how to organize the plethora of chickens I'm about to have. I already have 7 three week old Buffs, who will be moving out to the hen house in a few days. (these chicks have no vaccines, are healthy & on half medicated/half not medicated feed) In just about 3 weeks, I'll have 8 pulletts arriving by mail from mypetchicken all vaccinated for Mareks AND in just about 3 weeks, I hope to have a few from our first attempt at incubation. Obviously, these guys won't be vaccinated for anything. I obviously need to seperate ALL the new babies from what will be 6 week old Buffs, but HOW seperate? Obviously their antibodies are from other geographic regions but they will be raised here... Should I seperate the two new broods from eachother too? even though they will be only a few days apart in age at most? because they are from different places too? Again, how seperate do they need to be? What's your advice on this? Hopefully after this, chicks incubated & raised here will have been born of chickens here and then I won't have these concerns. Thanks for all your input..
I don't think you have to worry much about the ones you incubate and hatch out. They were not around any other birds at all. But I'm sure someone will chime in if this is not correct. Here is what I did. I first got 25 chicks from Ideal...all vaccinated and on medicated feed. Then I hatched out 4 new ones which were separate for about a week to be sure they were big enough to go in with the bigger girls from ideal. When I added the one week old with the two week olds they were all just fine no pecking! Then I sold 10 or my first flock and got different ones from Ideal again, all vaccinated. I also got MORE eggs in the incubator. I now have two sets of chicks..the younger and the older. The younger being two weeks old and the older are now 6 weeks old. They are all fine no one got sick and the Serama went from being with the older flock to in with the little girls because he was so small. All fine. I think you can add them together as long as you give them a few weeks and the ones you got form a hatchery are ok and not acting sick. I would put the ones that are days apart in age together...save on brooders for you too! I hope someone with more experience adds advice here for you!
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me! I appreciate that!! It sounds like everyone blended together vary nicely for you, I sure hope that happens here too. I'm so excited to have some eggs coming and adding to our flock that way in addition to mail order & local breeder. I wonder, you said one of your birds joined the younger flock, were they seperated somehow? or do you just mean your birds run in a couple of "packs"
I have 12 little guys I just got from Ideal that are 2 weeks old now...then I have 13 bigger girls who are out in the hen house now that are 6 weeks old...I used to have my Serama hen in with the bigger girls but they outgrew him and started running him over (not being mean but just stepping on him because he was so tiny lol) so I stuck him in with the little 2 week olds even tho he is 5 weeks. They are already outgrowing him! He's just a tiny guy! We did make a cage for him but the little girls are using it as a brooder right now until I can get them in the hen house with the others. THEN on July 7th I have MORE babies due to hatch that will go in my OTHER brooder lol WHEW, hard to keep mine straight too!
To make a long story short...I have a hen house with 13 6 week olds and then I have two brooders...One has my 2 week olds and one 5 week old Serama and the other is empty waiting for my new ones on July 7th. That prob explains it a little more lol. I will introduce the 2 week olds to the hen house in a few weeks...I HOPE they all get along!