Hi--
I'm in Northern New Jersey, a poultry lover's desert, and it gets awkward looking at info about birds in far-flung areas of NJ and NY and CT (I know, boo hoo!). Maybe we need our own thread?? We definitely need to support each other if your neighbors are like mine (good people who think backyard chickens are an extremely questionable lifestyle choice!!).
Anyway, I want to expand my tiny flock from three to five birds, and was hoping to add a pair of Easter Eggers (or any of their parent breeds, if I'm understanding it right) to my orpington sisters and leghorn/RIR hen. Wish we could start again with hatchlings, but I'm working with a small coop and partitioned run until they can all range together.
I'm wondering if anyone has or can direct me to healthy chicks 4+ weeks old that I could purchase in person?
Also, anyone have an opinion about the best age to introduce young gals to older ones? I would have assumed that everyone had to be approximately the same size for the best transition, but I just read someone's argument that it goes better when the newbies are a bit smaller since their place in the pecking order is so clear. The last time we did introductions we had almost three weeks of fiesty look-but-don't-touch, and then some nervous free ranging before it all got peaceful again.
Thanks for being out there! I'm from Bergen County, have been studying this site for a bit over a year, and I treasure my chicken-tending friends, now all in Bergen and Rockland Counties.
I'm in Northern New Jersey, a poultry lover's desert, and it gets awkward looking at info about birds in far-flung areas of NJ and NY and CT (I know, boo hoo!). Maybe we need our own thread?? We definitely need to support each other if your neighbors are like mine (good people who think backyard chickens are an extremely questionable lifestyle choice!!).
Anyway, I want to expand my tiny flock from three to five birds, and was hoping to add a pair of Easter Eggers (or any of their parent breeds, if I'm understanding it right) to my orpington sisters and leghorn/RIR hen. Wish we could start again with hatchlings, but I'm working with a small coop and partitioned run until they can all range together.
I'm wondering if anyone has or can direct me to healthy chicks 4+ weeks old that I could purchase in person?
Also, anyone have an opinion about the best age to introduce young gals to older ones? I would have assumed that everyone had to be approximately the same size for the best transition, but I just read someone's argument that it goes better when the newbies are a bit smaller since their place in the pecking order is so clear. The last time we did introductions we had almost three weeks of fiesty look-but-don't-touch, and then some nervous free ranging before it all got peaceful again.
Thanks for being out there! I'm from Bergen County, have been studying this site for a bit over a year, and I treasure my chicken-tending friends, now all in Bergen and Rockland Counties.
