Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[tdhenson86]

Is anyone going to the Michigan Game Breeder's Association event on the 13th in Hudsonville? Here is the website: http://mbgba.com/upcoming_events

 

[greenmimama]

Question:

I got 4 new laying hens on Fri, evening and we put them on their new roost in with our other 4 laying hens. Well the 4 we had before, Isa browns and RIR are really picking on the new girls, 2 EE and 2 Silver laced Wynadottes, they seem to especially pick on the EE's.
I knew there might be trouble, so everyday, I am letting out the "older" girls so they can ge tfresh air and sunshine while we are out there with them, and give the new girls a chance to eat and drink.

Anything else I can do to help them get along? or is it just par for the course.

1 more question: I am going to fence off a portion of the coop to put the new chicks in so they can all see each other and get used to each other, then around 2 months old let them be together, this is what I read would be a good age to let them in, knowing they will be young enough to know there chicken place, but old and big enough to not get killed.
My chicks are 4 weeks old today, I figure I can get them in the coop separated by week 6.

Does this sound like a good plan, or please help me tweek it, I really don't want to find a bunch of them dead, we have had enough of that here.

Oh and the coop is approx 14x 20 so there is room enough for all of them, and I will most likely get rid of a few of the chicks, not get rid of but sell to a friend. So that my total would be under 40, right now I have 8 layers and 45 chicks, 6 of which are cute little banty's

 

[snowflake]

It is at the Birch Run Expo Center.
I am attending and showing seramas, a few bantam americaunas, a few call ducks, a few runner ducks, two sebastopols, and two dewlap toulouse.
Hope to see some of my fellow BYC members there. I will be there saturday and sunday and will more than likely be wearing our red farm shirt with bird footprints on the back.

how do seramas walk around? when I see pics of them they are built so upright you would think they would fall over

Good luck at the show,,, you have beautiful birds.

got hawks

 

[Scifisarah]

It is at the Birch Run Expo Center.
I am attending and showing seramas, a few bantam americaunas, a few call ducks, a few runner ducks, two sebastopols, and two dewlap toulouse.
Hope to see some of my fellow BYC members there. I will be there saturday and sunday and will more than likely be wearing our red farm shirt with bird footprints on the back.

I will be sure to check out your seramas, as I have never owned any but am interested in adding some to my silkie and cochin clan in the future. I was thinking if I kept a serama rooster, I would not have to worry about it successfully mating with my silkies and cochins and making strange little poofy headed and feather footed babies. Are they so small that I shouldn't have to worry about that happening?

 

[Scifisarah]

Oh and the coop is approx 14x 20 so there is room enough for all of them, and I will most likely get rid of a few of the chicks, not get rid of but sell to a friend. So that my total would be under 40, right now I have 8 layers and 45 chicks, 6 of which are cute little banty's

Are they getting along well with your other chicks? I'm interested to find out of any of them turn frizzled like their Romeo daddy:



As far as when to put them in with the other chickens, I usually wait until they are about 3-4 months old but if you are introducing that many new chickens at once, they won't be able to single out just one to pick on. I think it is pretty normal to have them establish the pecking order. When I have trouble with mine is when I have a broody chicken out to incubate a clutch of eggs for a month, and then when I put that single hen back in the run afterwards, they fight it out to reassert their pecking order again and a lot of "chicken angst" is targeted at that one bird.

 

[1muttsfan]

It is usually best to wait until young birds are close to the same size as the older ones before mixing them.

When you get new birds, they should be isolated completely from your current flock for 2-3 weeks to ensure they are not carrying any infections that may make your birds sick. Then, if you pen them next to but not in with your birds for a week or two, the intros usually go much better.

 

[NovaAman]

It is usually best to wait until young birds are close to the same size as the older ones before mixing them.

When you get new birds, they should be isolated completely from your current flock for 2-3 weeks to ensure they are not carrying any infections that may make your birds sick. Then, if you pen them next to but not in with your birds for a week or two, the intros usually go much better.

x2

 

[shegeekster]

Oooh! Handsome!!!

 

[Scifisarah]

I didn't take that particular photo, but I am totally into "chick glamour shots" now haha. Every time I have a new clutch hatch, I try to get at least one super cute photo of the bunch while they still have that cute little eggtooth on.

 

[greenmimama]

Are they getting along well with your other chicks? I'm interested to find out of any of them turn frizzled like their Romeo daddy:



As far as when to put them in with the other chickens, I usually wait until they are about 3-4 months old but if you are introducing that many new chickens at once, they won't be able to single out just one to pick on. I think it is pretty normal to have them establish the pecking order. When I have trouble with mine is when I have a broody chicken out to incubate a clutch of eggs for a month, and then when I put that single hen back in the run afterwards, they fight it out to reassert their pecking order again and a lot of "chicken angst" is targeted at that one bird.

They are doing really well, I think since there were so many of them, they didn't really notice them, they are smaller of course, but at this stgae not terrribly so. I love there feathered feet, too cute.