Hi All! Let me start off by saying, I am new to this. If you had told me a year ago that we would have chickens, I probably would have just smiled and nodded. But here we are, and I love it. So I have a question about introducing a little flock of 9 week old chicks to our remaining 6 month old hen (Alfredo). Alfredo lost all of her hen friends while we were away, and she was the lone survivor. We felt that getting her some flock pals would be a good idea, so off to the hatchery. Alfredo is a Cinnamon Queen, and the chicks are: Buff Orpington, Austrolarp, EE, and Silver Laced Wyandotte. Hope I spelled all that correctly. They have been raised in a three season room, and I haven't had the heat lamp on in a week or so after backing it off, except for one night when it was a sharp drop to 32 degrees. I open the big window when it's 50 or over. Today was sunny and warm-we moved their crate out to the outside of the run. Alfredo was not happy, but the chicks had a great time, and we returned them to the room in the evening.
So, I'm totally without a solid plan on what to do next. I have read that I need to create clutter in the run, and that they need more look but don't touch exposure to each other. How long should I let them hang out separated? Is there a way I'll know when to take the next step? I think I should wait to clutter until soon before moving the chicks in permanently, to throw Alfredo off with lots of new stuff, but I could be thinking off here. Please chime in, I do need advice!
So, I'm totally without a solid plan on what to do next. I have read that I need to create clutter in the run, and that they need more look but don't touch exposure to each other. How long should I let them hang out separated? Is there a way I'll know when to take the next step? I think I should wait to clutter until soon before moving the chicks in permanently, to throw Alfredo off with lots of new stuff, but I could be thinking off here. Please chime in, I do need advice!
