Mixing Different Age Chicks in Brooder

[N&MSchroeder]

Okay, here's my 2 cents. I went in today to pick up more feed. I will not buy more chicks. I will not buy more chicks. Oh, they have EE's. I bought 2. Okay, I have moved my 2 1/2 week olds into a larger brooder. I will set up the original brooder for the little ones and am expecting more in a few days that will go in there also. When I came home, I placed their box in the big brooder under the light to keep warm while I set up the other brooder. Then I thought, well let's just see what happens. Nothing happened. My older chicks could have cared less. Not one peck. They all are eating together and are gradually starting to nestle together when they are sleeping. I am continuing to monitor the situation, but it all looks good!

 

[Pele]

I personally just got two more baby chicks to replace a chick among my 4 week olds that is clearly turning into a roo. I tried to mix them, but the chick who was subordinate before decided that she was the big woman of the house now, and started to pick on the babies. I ended up stringing up chicken-wire to divide the brooder in half and let them look at each other for a week or so. We'll see how an introduction goes in a week when the babies are more hardy.

 

[teach1rusl]

I think you could try, but would need to have a back-up plan ready to go. I added two 5 day old d'uccles to my four 2 wk. old silkie chicks. There was too much pecking for my comfort (mostly tiny toes and such), so I put up a wire divider in the brooder. I tried again the following day, and things went great!

Of course silkies are known for being pretty easy going, so that most likely helped a lot. Since each flock is different, I'd watch carefully if/when you try it...

 

[Noymira]

I was wondering this myself!

We are going to our *NEW* local TSC this Saturday with our 18 month old daughter to show her some chicks and check feed prices against the feed stores closer to our home (I prefer to support smaller local stores when possible unless there is a HUGE price difference). We have 8 chicks coming at the end of April from another local feed store/hatchery order. I keep telling myself that I will not buy any chicks this weekend, but another part of my mind has already planned exactly what we'd need to get on the way home from TSC if by chance a few chicks ended up coming with us... I may even get a heat bulb and some shavings and feed on the way home tomorrow (there is a farm store on my way), since we will need it anyway in the next month....

If we do get any this weekend, then they will be 5 weeks older than our chicks coming in April, so they will already be in the bigger brooder we are planning and no longer have use for the little brooder. Then I figured we could introduce them together, slowly, when the littlest ones are about a month old.

Can you tell I'm trying to tell myself it's ok to come home Saturday with some little ones?

Who could tell their little girl no to the cute baby chicks that mommy really wants too?

I am officially obsessed and haven't even held a chick yet!!!

 

[Chickadee55]

We went to the feed store last weekend to look at the chicks but fell in love with the ducklings. OMG! they are just adorable.

It's a good thing customers aren't allowed to handle them, I think my DH would have been sitting in the tub playing with them

 

[Noymira]

Quote:
Does anyone know if you can handle the chicks at most TSC stores? That would make it easier, just barely, to not bring any home. I'm not sure if I'd be relieved or disappointed by that!

 

[jdywntr]

I have a single ~5week old golden laced sebright whose sibling died. I also have 10 ~1 week old asst. bantams. Somehow today, the sebright got in with the bantams. I was worried about putting them together because I thought the sebright, being 3-4 times larger, would pick on the babies. Well, I was wrong. It was like a little gang of bantams, pecking at the sebrights feet and feathers. they settled down quickly and I periodically would go in to check on them. I had made a "window" between the brooders so that they could see each other and just took out the plexiglass partition. The bantams loved the fact that the sebright had some sand in the brooder. Nothing cuter then a 3" tall chick taking a dust bath.

About 2 hours later, I heard some peeping went in and there was a bantam chick holding on to the feathers of the sebrights head. ??? Not quite sure how that happened. It was rather comical but I detached the offending bantam and shooed all of them back to their "side" and replaced the partition so I could leave for work.

I think I will try removing all and reconfiguring the whole thing so that its "new" for everyone. I just feel so bad for the sebright being all alone.

 

[Wild Trapper]

Quote:
Does anyone know if you can handle the chicks at most TSC stores? That would make it easier, just barely, to not bring any home. I'm not sure if I'd be relieved or disappointed by that!

If I picked 'em up and petted them, they would probably follow me home.

Sure I've bent down and touched a few, but I always stop there, those boxes to put them in are to handy.

 

[NYRIR]

I currently have in the brooder...3 week olds,2 week olds,and 1 week olds...everyone is doing fine together.Oh,and 4 ducklings too that are 2 weeks and 1 week old.So far not a problem at all...I think space is the key though...my brooder was built to accommodate 40 birds....so of course,I have 40 birds in it

Hmmm....wonder what the specialty breed is this week at TSC?Have to get chicken feed tomorrow.....

 

[Gmjeter]

I will be getting five new chicks-red star- and then 3-4 days later 5 australorp new chicks. Can I safely mix them?
Mary