lost my chicks last night,best way to integrate/replace them? chicks vs pullets?

[sheisaeval]

So some predators got some of my chicks last night. What would be the best/easiest way to "replace" them and integrate them with the current flock?



Get baby chicks, brood them, and then integrate ?

Or buy them already pullets and integrate them as older chicks?



They're about eight weeks now.


Thanks for any advice.

 

[redsoxs]

Ready to go pullets are expensive but some folks go that route. I prefer to raise them from baby chicks and then integrate. I like to integrate chicks that are at least 1/2 the size of the adults and fully feathered. Keep them in close proximity - like opposite sides of a fence - for several days so they get used to each other. After this time has passed I put the newbies in with the older girls at dark so they won't get picked on. Then at first light I open the coop and let everyone out so now gets trapped and picked on. Then I monitor. There will be pecking order squabbles as the older girls establish their dominance - this is normal. If no one is singled out for abuse I'd say you're good to go. If one or more is, isolate them and go through the above process again. Good luck to you!

 

[Ravenseye]

I agree. Pullets are costly. I prefer to raise and then integrate. When I do integrate, I keep them real busy with stuff to eat, places to run to and water to drink. They'll have to sort most of it out for themselves but I keep an eye on them. I just integrated a new flock of 15 into an old flock of 6. Having more "new" chickens helped. The smaller, established flock gave them all the typical stink eye reception but once they started going after a couple of heads of cabbage, scratch, spaghetti, etc., things settled down. Roosting that first night was interesting and you could hear the fluttering well after dark as they all competed for space. I lost one the first night. She flew over a small snow fence that I was using to keep them in one general area. My wife tried to run her down (you know, you can never real run a chicken down that doesn't want to be caught) and a fox got her that night. After a couple of days, they were all OK and free-range just fine now.

I had a fox problem all winter and spring. I finally tried one of those flashing red "eyes" that is recharged by solar power. We still see the fox but never in front of the coop any more. Usually running across the garden or near an out building. That doesn't mean it stopped coming close up to the coop but I feel better lately. I move the "eye" to a slightly different location about every two or three weeks just to keep things mixed up a little.