Last night I got home my chicks were nice and warm from the heat lamp and cute as.
I then went and checked my 2 pullets and unfortunately we now only have 1! Sometimes has definitely taken her. She wouldn't have wondered off without the other. Ill be finding whatever it is!
Last night I got home my chicks were nice and warm from the heat lamp and cute as.
I then went and checked my 2 pullets and unfortunately we now only have 1! Sometimes has definitely taken her. She wouldn't have wondered off without the other. Ill be finding whatever it is!
omg Krystal, I'm so sorry to hear about your losses!
I've also lost a couple girls along the way and have learned some tough lessons. Just the way it goes...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...healthier-options-to-heat-your-brooder.72482/
You can make one yourself using a heating pad that won't shut off automatically. I did this just recently and my little ones were near fully feathered by 4-5 weeks old and confidently mixed with my two older ones with no aggression issues at all. Even just your single pullet could cause some damage if introduced too soon and not properly. Or the opposite if you wait too long to integrate... the new ones can band together and bully the single one.
In this pic you can see my brooder space under the poop tray where the heating pad is. The divider allows a safe place for the chicks where they can come and go but the big ones can't fit. After a few weeks, the little ones decided they didn't need it anymore and were fully integrated. So wonderful and quick!
This method seems like it would be great in your case because you don't want your big pullet to be lonely. The sooner she can bond with the new flock the better.
Another thing you might consider, if free ranging... a rooster will help protect your flock and keep a lookout for danger. But not all roos are good boys. You might want to get a couple baby cockerels and have them grow up with your little pullets, then keep the best one as the protector. The other will have to get "rehomed". Or you could wait until the pullets are fully grown and get a grown rooster. I'm not an expert on roos by any means, I've just heard they are great flock protectors for free ranging birds, but he would probably require some tough management on your part.
