How many chicks are needed to add to established flock?

[Jodi_in_Colorado]

We currently have 11 chickens from 3 different batches ( had a massacre in there last year ). We wanted to try incubating for the first time this year. We haven't had great success but are going into lockdown today with 2 living eggs. We very well may get zero out of this hatch, but if we get just one I want to have a plan for how many chicks I will have to buy to successfully integrate into my flock. I read somewhere that 3 is minimum but wondering if there would be enough safety in numbers in a flock of 11. Any thoughts would be appreciated! In the past we have added at least 5 with the exception of when we adopted a rooster.

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

I would recommend at least 5 for the safety of the chicks. And wait until they’re at least 6 weeks.

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

This topic is so negotiable but it really depends on how many you have in your current flock and the breed(more specifically size) of the adult and baby chickens

 

[aart]

I read somewhere that 3 is minimum but wondering if there would be enough safety in numbers in a flock of 11. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Minimum of 2 is good, 3 would be better in case you lose 1.

It's not really about numbers....more about space, skimping on space can make integration a nightmare.

How old is your flock and how big is your coop(in feet by feet)?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here.

I like to brood in coop and integrate early.
Here are 3 good set ups to do so:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

2 is probably fine, I just will always do at least 5 because I just had an incident where a chick nearly died from being pecked by a hen so I’ll always be extra cautious and do more than 3 chicks. Again this is just my opinion and point of view, but @aart is correct, space does matter, but there is really power in numbers.

 

[Jodi_in_Colorado]

We have a large coop for the adults and made a smaller for the chicks so they can be introduced slowly (the smaller is within the fenced in area we have for them which is about 1/4 acre). The larger is about 6 x 8 feet and the smaller is about 3 x 3 with its own enclosed small run. That helped for integration last time. We had the babies in the smaller coop and could see the adults for about a month before we combined. The adults are Wyandottes (2 hens and a roo), Specked Sussex (4 hens and a roo) and 3 Rhode Island Reds. One of the living eggs is a Rhode Island Red egg (so it will for sure be a cross breed) and one looks to be a Speckled Sussex, so it may be a pure breed or a Wyandotte mix. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Jodi_in_Colorado]

Minimum of 2 is good, 3 would be better in case you lose 1.

It's not really about numbers....more about space, skimping on space can make integration a nightmare.

How old is your flock and how big is your coop(in feet by feet)?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here.

I like to brood in coop and integrate early.
Here are 3 good set ups to do so:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree, 2 minimum but 3 is better in case something happens to one of them. Chickens are social animals, they really do better with a buddy.

In my opinion this (number of chicks) is more about behaviors. Until my chicks reach a certain level of maturity they tend to form a sub-flock and avoid the adults. If they invade the personal space of more mature chickens (even if the more mature are not adults) they are likely to get pecked. It usually doesn't take long for them to learn to avoid the adults, day and night. They avoid the more mature during the day, they do not roost with the adults on the main roosts at night. Once integrated, they coexist quite peacefully, they just don't get too close.

If you have a lone chick it will probably be lonely and want to spend time with the adults. But if it tries to join them it can get pecked. They are not trying to kill it, they are just telling it to stay away. But they peck hard, it can get hurt. Being a lone chick can be rough. When you are integrating you run into some of the same issues in reverse if you have one older one and several young ones.

Is this always true? Do these things always happen? Of course not, there are always exceptions to anything regarding behaviors. But I'd want to plan on what typically happens instead of hope for an exception.

You still have to go through integration, no matter how many you have. Your plan for that sounds really good to me. I wish you luck with that.

wondering if there would be enough safety in numbers in a flock of 11.

The safety is not in the numbers. It's not like a gang of juvenile thugs are going to avenge an insult from an adult. The safety is that they have a buddy to keep them company so they aren't tempted to try to join the adults out of loneliness.

You also have to consider biosecurity. Where will the chicks come from? They will basically be quarantined in your brooder but I would be a bit slow to bring in any if I did not need to. I think if two hatch I'd stay with two but if only one hatches bring in two more.

 

[Jodi_in_Colorado]

2 successful hatches! Thanks all! We will try another incubation so we can introduce at the same time.