How should I do this?!? Chick trouble. 🐥🤷‍♀️

[ChickenWhisperer101]

Hi y’all! I purchased 2 batches of chicks from McMurray Hatchery that were born a week apart. The chicks are in a 3 story brooder (Bantams on top which are from ideal and have nothing to do with this, older standards in the middle and younger standards on the bottom) and are all separated by batches. Today I mixed some of the standards and put some older ones on the bottom and some younger ones in the middle. I’m doing this because I don’t want to deal with introducing them to each other later in life after they’ve never met. This wouldn’t be a problem if we let them outside at 4-5 weeks (because it’s so hot here) but today I found a big chicken snake and I’m worried to put them outside at that young. They will be living in a chick-Shaw, because it’s portable, and I think a snake can fit through the wire as the floor, so I’m worried. Also, because it’s portable, they will have electric poultry wire that they can definitely fit through until they are a good at least 10-12 weeks.

Im at a loss. Do I continue to move them around daily or every other day in the brooder, or do I leave them in their own pens with the chicks there age? What age should I move them out to their chick-Shaw? How do I deal with the fence? What do I do?!? I really don’t know, any help is really greatly appreciated!!! Thank you for responding and answering any questions or giving any advice if you can.

Thanks again
-ChickenWhisperer101

 

[OKChickenGuy]

I've not raised chicks the way you're doing them, so I don't think I can offer sound options there -- Personally, after I get a new batch, I quarantine them for a while cuz I don't know what they brought home with em from where they came from. After that, I have a smaller "pen" that allows them to be alongside the rest of the herd so to speak, and they get to grow up more to be able to defend themselves among the rest. Call it pre-pecking order training.... Also, this separate pen area uses hardware cloth.... electric borders I've found to be basically useless and have never protected any bird I've lost to a predator.

As to the snake -- I have found they're not there for the chicks (per say)....They just happen to be bite-sized alternatives to what they normally go after -- rodents! Mice and the like.

The ONLY way to keep snakes out is 100% exclusion -- Snakes large enough to eat them can't get thru hardware cloth... I use 1/4" A snake small enough to get thru that -- WILL be eaten by the chicks! I've seen it!

So -- vigilance is your only salvation. Until they're large enough to fair on their own, and even then, it's a challenge at times, all you can do it lower the losses....

Given the heat --- We have it here too.... locking them into a space without good shade and airflow will shorten their chances substantially of getting old enough and large enough to move out with the rest.

I don't know how many youngin's you have as a total --- but I wouldnt worry about co-mingling them. Other than HUGE differences in age & really, huge differences in size more than age is my deciding factor.

Think of it like grade school and high school sharing the same playground.

Hopefully I've offered enough ideas or thoughts to help you in some way.... I tried the separated plan in the past.... it's just too hard to manage, and it sounds like you have more chicks than I ever had at once, so it's got to be 100x harder.

I enjoy my feathery friends -- I don't want it to be so hard and complex a process that I lose the fun parts of it.

Hang in there! It's a constant learning process and you merge it into how you want to handle it.... We're here to offer support and ideas to get you there!

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

I've not raised chicks the way you're doing them, so I don't think I can offer sound options there -- Personally, after I get a new batch, I quarantine them for a while cuz I don't know what they brought home with em from where they came from. After that, I have a smaller "pen" that allows them to be alongside the rest of the herd so to speak, and they get to grow up more to be able to defend themselves among the rest. Call it pre-pecking order training.... Also, this separate pen area uses hardware cloth.... electric borders I've found to be basically useless and have never protected any bird I've lost to a predator.

As to the snake -- I have found they're not there for the chicks (per say)....They just happen to be bite-sized alternatives to what they normally go after -- rodents! Mice and the like.

The ONLY way to keep snakes out is 100% exclusion -- Snakes large enough to eat them can't get thru hardware cloth... I use 1/4" A snake small enough to get thru that -- WILL be eaten by the chicks! I've seen it!

So -- vigilance is your only salvation. Until they're large enough to fair on their own, and even then, it's a challenge at times, all you can do it lower the losses....

Given the heat --- We have it here too.... locking them into a space without good shade and airflow will shorten their chances substantially of getting old enough and large enough to move out with the rest.

I don't know how many youngin's you have as a total --- but I wouldnt worry about co-mingling them. Other than HUGE differences in age & really, huge differences in size more than age is my deciding factor.

Think of it like grade school and high school sharing the same playground.

Hopefully I've offered enough ideas or thoughts to help you in some way.... I tried the separated plan in the past.... it's just too hard to manage, and it sounds like you have more chicks than I ever had at once, so it's got to be 100x harder.

I enjoy my feathery friends -- I don't want it to be so hard and complex a process that I lose the fun parts of it.

Hang in there! It's a constant learning process and you merge it into how you want to handle it.... We're here to offer support and ideas to get you there!

Well I had 12 before, and was going to get like 15, maybe 20 more chicks but I ended up getting 32 (one passed though) from McMurray and 10 bantams which will be separate from ideal. I’ve raised a max of 8 chicks at a time so this is very new to me as well. I don’t have any older chickens currently because my older ones got mg about a month or 2 ago and had to be culled.
I agree about enjoying them and not loosing fun though! I’m just worried that the snakes will mistake or substitute a chick for a mouse or rat and eat it, but I might just be a little to paranoid though, because I HATE snakes and want nothing to do with them!
Thanks for all the info and tips! I really appreciate it.
-ChickenWhisperer101

 

[OKChickenGuy]

Well I had 12 before, and was going to get like 15, maybe 20 more chicks but I ended up getting 32 (one passed though) from McMurray and 10 bantams which will be separate from ideal. I’ve raised a max of 8 chicks at a time so this is very new to me as well. I don’t have any older chickens currently because my older ones got mg about a month or 2 ago and had to be culled.
I agree about enjoying them and not loosing fun though! I’m just worried that the snakes will mistake or substitute a chick for a mouse or rat and eat it, but I might just be a little to paranoid though, because I HATE snakes and want nothing to do with them!
Thanks for all the info and tips! I really appreciate it.
-ChickenWhisperer101

I think your name here is because you have a hoard of chicks making you lose your voice!

Went right for the deep end! That's ok -- Me -- personally -- Not sure where you are, but if you're in USA, then there's no spaces I know where it's too cold anymore, so you have that to your advantage. Kick the 12 out.... the rest... once they're a bit older... out with them too...

Now... out to what you ask --- Hardware cloth will be your new friend --- cuz your little girls (and boys unless you got em sexed and know otherwise), can escape from spaces you never dreamed of. but so far, I've never lost one from an enclosure that used hardware cloth.... chicken wire -- useless on so many levels I'm afraid.

As long as they're locked in a safe coop overnight, I think your losses will be kept down really low. You've used your new chicken math well --- you have a lot of feathery friends, and sadly you'll have a few less just because....it sucks, but, it's part of the process.

If it was me, I'd have a totally enclosed space for them until they were at least a few months older... From chick to much larger will happen in a flash... it aint years....it's months.
I had a Bantum...well, still have.... that hatched out 4 that were not hers! So, we learned REALLY fast, she protects them very very well... Little powder keg of a mom. Even tried to make me leave.... LOL (which was so funny on its own)... Nonetheless, YOU are the surrogate mom, so it's OK to be over protective.

So -- you can easily make a small enclosure to go with your chick-shaw.

Me.... I'd go for something maybe 4' square, and maybe 2ft high.
You could use wood as small as 1"x1", but 2" would be better. Then cover the sides and top with hardware cloth... Done....

Now...... how you get them from the chick-shaw INTO that.... well... Not sure.... But you get the idea ---

I would definitely be rotating them into shaded areas since they won't be able to get to share on their own if they're under lock n key so to speak.

But, I'm wondering, if your chick-shaw, could be adjusted so that this protected mini-pen could be directly connected to the -shaw... lil door way?

It's late -- maybe I'm way off on this --- But --- I think if I had the same number and setup that you have, this is what I would do.

You might attach a photo of the chick-shaw. it might help garner some ideas from people here that are way better than mine.

Just remember -- it's ok to think outside of the box with your solution.

 

[ladybrasa]

All I have to offer is that I haven’t had any issues mixing chicks a week apart in age. Not when they are young anyway!

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

What is a good age to start taking chicks outside for little field trips? I took my other chicks outside for the first time at 4 weeks and my other past chicks at 2 1/2-3 weeks. I was also in a backyard with less of a chance of coccidiosis though, now I’m in the country with lots of wild birds and that sort of stuff. I’m kinda paranoid about coccidiosis because my almost year old girls got it and I lost 3 of my girls from it. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

My other girls got coccidiosis in my old backyard though, so I don’t know if it’s a problem here or not.

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

@OKChickenGuy? @ladybrasa? @anyone? Do you have any suggestions?

 

[peeper89]

not know what todo! hope somebody help you @MysteryChicken @TheOddOneOut @Weeg

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

not know what todo! hope somebody help you @MysteryChicken @TheOddOneOut @Weeg

Thanks for tagging more people