introducing chickens..chicks or hens??

Quote:Chicks are always very good if they come from a good hatchery,because they will be healthy, the only problem is that you can't put them with the hens untill they get old enough to defend themselfs.
If you are in a hurry and you need hens soon, then you have to do the 30 days deal or find a real honest chicken owner who will tell you the history of his chicken, and please do get another openion beside mine, because I am still learning too.

Omran

 

If you get hens you'll have to quarantine them. If you get chicks you'll have to keep them seperate until they are of a good size to not be injured by your current chickens.
With chicks from a hatchery you could always create an temporary wall in your coop where the hens could see the chicks but not get to them. If you get already started pullets they will have to be kept completely apart - as in not in the same area even.
I'd go with chicks. You can get the breed you want and it's alot of fun to watch them grow and develop their personalities.
With careful introductions the fighting issue should be about the same. Everybody has to work out their place in the pecking order whether you get chicks or hens and it can usually be accomplished without any real harm to any of them.
Tell the DH to be nice to the duck or the harley gets a new paint job provided by the kids.

 

Quote:Ideal has delaware chicks. I live in Florida. I order from Ideal. They are located in Texas.

 

I am in the exact same situation and I have decided to do both! A couple of new hens from my hairdresser, then some chicks later on in the spring. The intro thing is really a drag. I have to rebuild the quarantine/baby coop bigger, reclaim my old day run from my hubbies lawn mowers, make the new run bigger, and modify the coop for more roosting area. Geez, this is like a full time job! I sometimes doubted they would ever get along, but they soon became a flock.....I was able to put juvies with an adult at 4 months, but some have done it earlier.