Integrating my 9 wk old pekin bantam with 11 month old

[Aussie new mum]

Hi everyone
Firstly, thanks for all the help and good advice you have given me so far. Lolly (the 11 month old pekin bantam I rescued from my neighbours) is doing wonderfully and Olivia (the 9 week old I bought when she was 6 weeks old) is growing up nicely. I have had Olivia in a cage in the main coop since the day after I got her. She is in a large bird cage. This week I did a bit of renovation as she is getting taller. She now has the same floor space but head space to the top of the coop. I've been locking Lolly out of the coop for a few hours morning and night for the last few weeks so Olivia can run around. I let Olivia out of the big coop briefly yesterday and she ran to me when she got a bit scared. I let her out for longer today but stayed nearby and she ran over to me if Lolly looked like she was going to peck her. I have a few questions:
1. I've only had Olivia since she was 6 weeks old, not from a young chick. Will she still get to know me - I think she is but am not sure
2. I've been told that the chicken grower that I have Olivia on is medicated and that if the older chicken eats it we can't eat the eggs. Also, have been told that the little one can't eat the big ones food until she is about 18 weeks old. What I was going to do was leave the little one's food in her separate section and shut the door while she is out and about a few times a day and take the older one's food away just while the little one is out and about - I figure the bigger one will find enough stuff in the garden so she doesn't go hungry
3. How long should I do this before I try and let them stay together all the time
4. Also, if I let them stay together and take the smaller cage out of the coop, how do I make sure they don't eat each others food?
Help and thanks
Justine

 

[cmom]

I would sit with mine and give them treats out of my hand. They eventually would climb in my lap for some treats. When on medicated feed, I personally don't eat the eggs. Hopefully you will get other responses. There is feed available called Flock Raiser that can be fed to a mixed flock. Just be sure to have free choice oyster shell available. You can try to put them together and see what happens. If they don't intergrate well then you may have to separate them for awhile longer. Just watch carefully as their will probably be establishing a pecking order or it could go smoothly if they are already somewhat used to each other. I would probably wait until she was about 4 months old or are close to the same size.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Not true...certainly you can eat eggs from hens that are given medicated chick starter. The "medication" is just something that inhibits the way cocci can use thiamine to reproduce. It's not a true "antibiotic" as we would typically know it.

 

[cmom]

oldtimegator, I did not say you couldn't eat the eggs from chicks on medicated feed, just that I choose not to. It's probably perfectly safe.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Quote:
Oh...actually, I guess I didn't completely read your response. I was just responding to the OP. Sorry if it sounded like I was correcting you...my bad!!

 

[dixiechick]

Hi Justine!
I just switched to Flock Raiser (by Purina) myself...getting ready to show, ya know! When I turn my babies out to free range, they run in the other pens and sneak feed anyway! Guess they feel they are getting away with something....so I don't worry too much about feeding too separately.


I got a cochin a few months ago who was not used to being petted and handled, but we are warming her up to us with hand-fed treats (grasshoppers and crickets). We also wait until she goes to roost and will handle her then when she is calm. She's coming around, slowly but surely.

Sounds like you are being a great cautious mommy!!!

Talk to you soon...