I have questions!!!

[Clearly]

Younger and Older are relative terms. And you really have to make good judgement calls on this one.

I have raised chicks that I'd purchased within two weeks of each other all together and it has turned out fine. But my personal judgement is that I wouldn't widen that spread any further than the two weeks. I also wouldn't put a single 2 day old chick with a group of chicks that are 2 weeks old. Only in equal numbers so they can band together.

If you're talking about chickens past the 3 month mark and fully feathered, you always introduce them carefully and in pairs at the least. Introducing a single chicken to any established flock is asking for it to be bullied and probably injured. You really just need to judge your current flock and what you want to introduce; you will know your chickens and what they will accept, and what they will not.

All that being said, past that 6 month mark or so, chickens are chickens to each other, so a 4 year old chicken will meet a 6 month chicken and it's just another chicken.

Most chicken owners add to their flock yearly, at least as far as I've seen around here!!! (chicken obsessed much???) And they do so knowing what their flock will accept and on a time scale; for example, when introducing my new chicks to the flock, they live in a separate run and coop for the first month or so, so the chickens can see each other, but not fight.

Hope this gives you some semblance of an answer to that question.

 

[Pork Pie]

Younger and Older are relative terms. And you really have to make good judgement calls on this one.

I have raised chicks that I'd purchased within two weeks of each other all together and it has turned out fine. But my personal judgement is that I wouldn't widen that spread any further than the two weeks. I also wouldn't put a single 2 day old chick with a group of chicks that are 2 weeks old. Only in equal numbers so they can band together.

If you're talking about chickens past the 3 month mark and fully feathered, you always introduce them carefully and in pairs at the least. Introducing a single chicken to any established flock is asking for it to be bullied and probably injured. You really just need to judge your current flock and what you want to introduce; you will know your chickens and what they will accept, and what they will not.

All that being said, past that 6 month mark or so, chickens are chickens to each other, so a 4 year old chicken will meet a 6 month chicken and it's just another chicken.

Most chicken owners add to their flock yearly, at least as far as I've seen around here!!! (chicken obsessed much???) And they do so knowing what their flock will accept and on a time scale; for example, when introducing my new chicks to the flock, they live in a separate run and coop for the first month or so, so the chickens can see each other, but not fight.

Hope this gives you some semblance of an answer to that question.

Good answer. I'd suggest further reading on the subject - type "integrating new flock members" into the search box and you'll find a whole range of info on the subject.

CT

 

[junebuggena]

How long can eggs stay in a nest before a hen sits

Collect eggs daily. If a hen is going to go broody, she will, whether there are eggs sitting around or not. Also, having a rooster present will not cause a hen to go broody. Also, eggs will not spontaneously begin to develop. They must be incubated, either by a broody hen or by an incubator, to develop.

 

[misslogan019]

I really want black australorps, orpingtons,and leghorns. Do they come as pullets? Or special breeds? I can't have roosters

 

[junebuggena]

I really want black australorps, orpingtons,and leghorns. Do they come as pullets? Or special breeds? I can't have roosters

Most hatcheries have those breeds as sexed pullets. However, hatchery vent sexing is not 100% accurate. Sexing day old chicks is more of an art than a science, and errors are made. You do need to have a plan on how to deal with potential cockerels. It happens. It's just part of raising chickens.
Hatcheries are about 90% accurate with their sexing, so about 1 out of every 10 chicks will be a cockerel.
If you buy unsexed chicks from a breeder, odds are, at least half will be male.

 

[realsis]

where are you getting your chicks from? Some hatcheries let you buy as few as 3 chicks.Meyers hatchery will also let you mix breeds. places like My Pet Chicken get there birds from Meyers . if you do want to order from a hatchery you should order very soon to ensure females are available. I like Meyers hatchery because they have so MANY breeds to choose from and offer the Mareks vaccine for only .50 cents. They also offer a free chick you can choose the sex of. it's called a meal maker because you can offer its eggs to feed the hungry. it's Meyers way of helping you help others. They also are one of the few hatcheries that ship with a long lasting heat pack for the chicks. They also ship express or priority depending how far away you live. They have excellent customer service and have answered all my email questions very quickly.it's usually best to Pre order in December or January for spring no matter which hatchery you choose so you can have choices of breeds and females. you can look online and most hatcheries will say if any females are available for the date you choose. if none are available it will say male only. last I looked they still have them available for most breeds in may or June for hatch. I ordered in January for April 11th hatch. I really hope this helps. Have fun with your new chicks!

 

[misslogan019]

where are you getting your chicks from? Some hatcheries let you buy as few as 3 chicks.Meyers hatchery will also let you mix breeds. places like My Pet Chicken get there birds from Meyers . if you do want to order from a hatchery you should order very soon to ensure females are available. I like Meyers hatchery because they have so MANY breeds to choose from and offer the Mareks vaccine for only .50 cents. They also offer a free chick you can choose the sex of. it's called a meal maker because you can offer its eggs to feed the hungry. it's Meyers way of helping you help others. They also are one of the few hatcheries that ship with a long lasting heat pack for the chicks. They also ship express or priority depending how far away you live. They have excellent customer service and have answered all my email questions very quickly.it's usually best to Pre order in December or January for spring no matter which hatchery you choose so you can have choices of breeds and females. you can look online and most hatcheries will say if any females are available for the date you choose. if none are available it will say male only. last I looked they still have them available for most breeds in may or June for hatch. I ordered in January for April 11th hatch. I really hope this helps. Have fun with your new chicks!

I work at Tractor supply so I'm trying to wait until they get those breeds in there but you never know what is gonna come in.

 

[junebuggena]

I work at Tractor supply so I'm trying to wait until they get those breeds in there but you never know what is gonna come in.

The manager should know what was ordered. But I'll warn you, Tractor and Supply stores are notorious on this site for mislabeling chicks and selling straight run as sexed pullets. Just a few days ago, someone posted to show off their new Cornish X babies. They were excited and looking forward to those chicks being pets and egg layers. She was heartbroken to learn that her chicks would not be the long-lived, egg laying pets that she hoped for.

 

[enola]

It is a rare occasion when they get mites and lice and fleas. If you chicken gets worms you should put red pepper flakes in their water, they don't have taste buds so they won't care and it will kill the worms. You will see worms in their droppings. It depends where you live to let then out. I have a hawk problem so I just stand outside with them. Get them in before dusk and let them out anytime after dawn. You just open the coop door and they will all run out. Just saying, they like to eat gardens and dig mulch up. :yiipchick

Red pepper is not a reliable substance to worm chickens with.

Concerning worms in poop, the most dangerous worms would never been seen in poop.

 

[misslogan019]

Are fine shaving ok for chicks?