mixing from hatchery and feed store?

[Sakura]

Hi everybody,

We have been checking feed stores and found that they have about 1/2 of the breeds we want to order. The ages vary by about a week. We were planning to order from a hatchery in about 2 weeks.

Can you mix those from the feed store with hatchery chicks? Or from different feed stores if they are different ages?

We are not sure about diseases, vaccinations, etc. they may have had, or if the different ages will all need separate brooders.

We will probably still order from the hatchery, I guess I am just getting impatient from seeing these cute babies in person!

Thanks!

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

I will buy all my chicks from the feed stores in my area and have had great success. They are sexed at about 95% correct.

 

[CarriBrown]

I think I've had better luck with the the pet store birds. Now mind you, I'm in it for the companionship. I'm not showing these birds. There is a computer term- WYSIWYG. What you see is what you get. No surprises.

 

[Frizzledhen]

Sakura,
I thought about getting some chicks from the feed store and putting them in with the ones I got from a hatchery but found out that the birds from the feed store were not vaccinated for Mareks or cocci. My birds from the hatchery are vaccinated. That would mean I would need 2 brooders because the vaccinated birds can't eat the medicated feed and the birds not vaccinated from the feed store would need medicated feed. If you want to mix them you need to have all vaccinated birds or all unvaccinated birds.
Gayle

 

[bigzio]

I agree with Gayle in regards to knowing if the peeps have had vaccinations or not. It could otherwise be a problem.

bigzio

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

Quote:
I keep my chicks separate from my adults until they are off any medicated feed then I let them mingle together. The two coops and pens are next to each other so at least they can get familiar with each other until I let them get together.