Hi everyone,
I currently have 3 batches of chicks. Each batch has its own Mama. One batch has TWO Mamas (they sat the same clutch of eggs together and are raising the resulting chicks together).
One Mama has 3 babies which are three weeks old. She is in a small outdoor coop (6x8) and hates being in there. I have a drake which will kill chicks, so she's gotta stay in there for a bit longer, I think.
I have TWO Mama's and their 7 chicks in a small 36" dog crate.
I have ONE Mama and 2 chicks which are being kept inside fenced area in my garden. They have lots of cover there and the area is probably 10x15.
Obviously, the hens in the crate with 7 chicks are a bit cramped. I have nowhere to put them and I'd LOVE to just turn them loose in the small fenced area with the Mama and her 2 chicks.
I wouldn't mind putting the 2 hens and 7 chicks in the small coop with the Mama and her three week olds, either, but I am not sure that the bigger chicks will play nice with the 4 day olds.
So I guess my questions are as follows: Is it possible for me to keep several batches of chicks and their mothers together without them fighting? These hens used to free range together until they decided to set, so it's not like they haven't met. Is my fenced-in area too small for 3 Mamas and 9 babies? All the babies are within a day or two of each other. How would you introduce them?
Currently, I pushed the dog crate up to the fence so the hens can see and hear each other and their chicks but not hurt one another.
I currently have 3 batches of chicks. Each batch has its own Mama. One batch has TWO Mamas (they sat the same clutch of eggs together and are raising the resulting chicks together).
One Mama has 3 babies which are three weeks old. She is in a small outdoor coop (6x8) and hates being in there. I have a drake which will kill chicks, so she's gotta stay in there for a bit longer, I think.
I have TWO Mama's and their 7 chicks in a small 36" dog crate.
I have ONE Mama and 2 chicks which are being kept inside fenced area in my garden. They have lots of cover there and the area is probably 10x15.
Obviously, the hens in the crate with 7 chicks are a bit cramped. I have nowhere to put them and I'd LOVE to just turn them loose in the small fenced area with the Mama and her 2 chicks.
I wouldn't mind putting the 2 hens and 7 chicks in the small coop with the Mama and her three week olds, either, but I am not sure that the bigger chicks will play nice with the 4 day olds.
So I guess my questions are as follows: Is it possible for me to keep several batches of chicks and their mothers together without them fighting? These hens used to free range together until they decided to set, so it's not like they haven't met. Is my fenced-in area too small for 3 Mamas and 9 babies? All the babies are within a day or two of each other. How would you introduce them?
Currently, I pushed the dog crate up to the fence so the hens can see and hear each other and their chicks but not hurt one another.
