Introducing more chicks to my existing two babies

[pixiechic]

If I've learned anything this spring, it's that Chickens are like potato chips. Once you start, you can't stop!

About six weeks ago, a neighbor gave me a rooster and a couple of hens, my first chickens ever. They're plain white meat birds, so we won't get a lot of eggs. We lost one hen to a predator, so now we just have two.

This week, I got two silkie chicks, which are the cutest peeps ever. DH built them a fabulous new brooder, but it's so big (about 4' x 4') that they almost seem lost in there. They are pecking and scratching like crazy, and making happy little peeps, but cling together most of the time.

Yesterday, DH went to get chick feed and came back saying the feed store had some chicks for sale. I called this morning, and indeed, they just got in more then 200 pre-sexed chicks of about a dozen different varieties. They got mostly hens, but there are a few roos.

You know what my next thought was, right? Let's get some more chicks to keep the silkies company in that big brooder! I'd also love to have some layers. I'm thinking maybe ten, 2 or 3 different kinds

Is that enough? Too many?

Good idea? Bad idea? Do I have to do anything special to introduce them, or can I just put the new chicks in with the other two?

 

[chickiepoo]

I would just put them in there and watch them to see how they do. I have three ameraucanas that are over a week older than the six wyandotte chicks I got from the feed store. The wyandottes were just hatched and the ameraucanas were a week and a half old. They did just fine together from the beginning.

 

[pixiechic]

Thanks!