I Can't Be The Only Chicken Lover In This Kinda Dilema...

[chickie<3]

So quick backround..i bought 5 chicks in June. I raised them to 5 weeks..i gave 3 to my dad and kept 2 and moved them into their coop...because i am so in love with them..I WANT MORE...so i ordered 5 more chicks...3 for me and 2 for my dad(he is in love too)...we figured it would be easier for me to raise the 5 chicks for 5 weeks then give them all to my dad and take back the 3 original ones we gave him..this way we both have 5 chickens all the same age, same size, same food. BUT now my DH want to keep 3 of the new chicks...PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED:
1. Integrating three 5 week old chicks with two 15 week chicks
2. Once the older ones start laying and I have to give them layer food with more calcium..how do the little guys not eat that food and stick to their grower food.
3. I have a small coop..holds 6 hens..with a little run because space is limited...because i have read on here to block off a section..but that's not possible

HELP!!!

 

[katdam]

i can't help, but i sorta have the same problem..i have 5, 20 wks old, waiting on an egg any day now....then i have 10, 10 wks old, i don't have a problem with the room...they have their own area....just have the problem with when to mix them and of course the food problem.... you're not alone..hopefully some EXPERTS will lend a wing and help out!!

 

[NonnasBabies]

The intergrating part is a tough one. Cause it can either work fine or be a disaster. (Know this from experience!)

Feed wise you can switch them all to Purina Flock Raiser and have oyster shell free choice in case your layers need it!!

What would probably be your best bet is to build a decent size brooder that will hold the new ones till their old enough to fend for themselves.

Good Luck!
Missi

 

[azygous]

I'm currently in a similar situation, raising six nine-week-olds with three three-week-olds. And I also have six one and two-year-olds thrown in for good measure. The three-week-olds only spend the days outside in the general population. They still need their brooder at night.

If your only real problem is their food issues, it's not that big a problem. My youngsters all seem to prefer their chick starter feed over the adult layer feed. I catch the nine-week-olds sampling the layer feed occasionally, but it's not their favorite. I doubt the little they eat is going to throw them off their development. But their chick starter can't be accessed by the adults, so the adults aren't able to gobble up all their food.

As for the three-week-olds, I do keep them segregated in a small enclosure in the pen. By five or six weeks, I doubt that eating a bit of layer feed should do them any harm, and I'll be permitting them to access the rest of the pen through a small pop hole that the others won't be able to squeeze through. That way they have a safe zone to escape any bullying.

So, to sum it up, just provide them with their chick starter and try to arrange things so the bigger girls don't eat it all up from them. You could put the feeder inside a crate with access to it that just the youngsters can get through. That ought to take care of your problem.

Hope this helps.