Need the truth on adding birds to a flock

[Manok-Tao]

Quote:
as a rookie...the farm up the road that sells pullets has recently (per their website) gone to all debeaked pullets...no choices no variance. The pullets I bought 2 years ago (gone now to a freind as i could not winter them) were also debeaked..explained to me it was better for the bird. It would eliminate them nipping on each other.
Again am I a total fool newbie???

 

[gkeesling]

Quote:
as a rookie...the farm up the road that sells pullets has recently (per their website) gone to all debeaked pullets...no choices no variance. The pullets I bought 2 years ago (gone now to a freind as i could not winter them) were also debeaked..explained to me it was better for the bird. It would eliminate them nipping on each other.
Again am I a total fool newbie???

I would have to question the debeaking as well. It seems to take away some of the natural chicken behavior. Besides, they will only peck on each other for a few days until they get the pecking order established. After that it will be just small pecks here and there to keep the lower ranked ones in line. I'm not one to keep chickens as pets or anything, and I like to eat farm animals as well as much as I like them for a hobby, but debeaking them just doesn't seem right to me.

 

[Manok-Tao]

the hens I had before that were "debeaked" actually the ends of the beaks were clipped, they still had the beak, it just didn't come to a point. I'm not condoning it by any means I just don't know any better being a newbie. I'll have to try to find other pullets in my area that aren't debeaked or wait till warmer spring and start with chicks?????

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
This is consistant with my experience. The pecking order has to be reworked but that doesn't take long & rarely causes any serious harm.
A fellow near me used to breed 50+ varieties of large fowl & bantams. When he was done hatching he turned them all out in a big pen & run together. Everything from large fowl Rocks the Sebright Bantams. There was usually a bit of fighting at first but within a couple of hours they'd all settled down & they did fine together.
BTW, there is no "truth" about this subject. Like so many other things there are many opinions.

 

[twister]

as a rookie...the farm up the road that sells pullets has recently (per their website) gone to all debeaked pullets...no choices no variance. The pullets I bought 2 years ago (gone now to a freind as i could not winter them) were also debeaked..explained to me it was better for the bird. It would eliminate them nipping on each other.

I think it would be worth a shot to explain to the farm that you would "like" to continue to purchase from them only if they would not debeak them. they may heed your request or they may not...if not, you could always search craigslist or request on craigslist or ck the thread here for people in your area that may have some to sell or buy pullets or chicks from hatcheries that mail them.​

 

[obchix]

I too was worried when we decided to expand our flock. We got the first flock as little peepers and went the same route with the new ones. The first few months we kept the new ones in the brooder to stay warm like you are supposed to but brought the brooder out into the yard when the big girls were out during the day... but put bird netting around the brooder(dog crate). The young ones would put their heads thru the wires and the big ones would peck them...thus the bird netting. We did this for 6ish weeks. At about8-10 weeks I would let them free range with everyone together but the dog crate as a refuge. We made it so the big girls couldnt get into it. Finally put them in the closed off section of the big coop at night and after that they have almost always gone straight back in there in the evening. They dont sleep together yet, and they range in "gangs" but they all seem to get along. They are currently ~18 months and ~3months old. Good luck!

 

[Andi]

Unless instant egg producers is important, don't feel you're restricted to purchasing birds from this one particular farm. Debeaked birds is totally unnecessary in a small flock, and the birds will be at a disadvantage when it comes to eating. Lots of places sell birds of all sizes and there's likely breeders in your area.

I had never had chickens before. I grew up a city girl. This last Spring I got some chicks at the local farm store. They only carry breeds that are hardy in the area, so I felt assured of Winter hardiness. It was really so very easy. We kept them inside under lamps close over head for a couple weeks. Slowly we weened them of the lamps by raising the height of the lamps. The next step was to only have the lamps on at night (that was a total guess, but we did it thinking they would stay warmer at night then). I'm not so sure if we had the timing right, but after a month of them being in the house and having to change their shavings so frequently, we were certainly ready for them to move outside. Being new to it all we were likely overly protective and probably didn't need to keep them inside that long. All worked out well.

Because I didn't know what I was doing and figured I'd loose a bunch to my ignorance, I doubled the amount I wanted to end up with. I lost 1 chick the night I brought them home. That's it. I ended up turning some of the ones that turned out to be roos into stock and rehomed the extras. (A word of advice - roos are hard to rehome, but they taste just as good. That was a whole different hurdle I had to overcome. I'm an animal lover and not a hunter/killer.)

Getting younger birds really isn't difficult at all. Maybe you can talk this farm into selling you younger birds that haven't been debeaked yet...and don't debeak them. Everyone that I've read about on here that has had debeaked birds has wished they hadn't gotten debeaked ones. Just something to think about.

Best of wishes on a pleasant chicken adventure!

 

[FortWorthChicks]

Quote:
I agree .. no debeaking!

 

[Warthog]

My experience of introducing chicks to existing flock.

I have twelve production reds, 6 months old and all laying.

About 5 weeks ago I bought 10 production red chicks (3 weeks old).

After reading lots of threads on this forum (thanks to all), this is what I did.

Inside the coop we built a small moveable cage, with 1/2" welded wire sides and a removable plywood top, I kept the chicks in there for about 5 weeks, in full view of the older hens.

During this time we constructed a moveable pen out in the run, (made this out of four old bug screens wired together, and a sheet of plywood on top, in case it rained and also to keep the hens out.

In the mornings when I let then hens out into the pen, I put the chicks into their pen, so they can then scratch around and get some sun and fresh air.

The hens are let out to free range at about 10 am, and the chicks then go into their little pen.

Yesterday I decided it was time to try to mix the chicks with the hens. When I let the hens out into their pen in the morning, I let the chicks run with the hens. One or two of the hens chased the chicks a little and there was the odd peck.

When I let the hens out to free range, I put the chicks into their own little pen, so I could leave the gate open if the hens wanted to get back in to eat or whatever.

That evening when the hens had gone to roost, I put the chicks in the main coop. IT WORKED.

I have done exactly the same again today.

I will take it day by day and maybe in a week or two, I will let the chicks out with the hens to free-range.

This has been my first experience and maybe I have been lucky, I don't know.

Once these chicks are free ranging we will get another ten and do the same thing.

Hope this helps.

 

[G Wiz Ranch]

Maybe volume helps, but I have never had any issues introducing 3-4 week old chicks to the flock. I have them on the ground in a brooder at 3 weeks and keep them in there for a week or two, then I open the door to the brooder and let them come out on their own. None of the older hens running around seem to care. At night the chicks go back into the brooder on their own. They free range and then at 6 weeks, they don't get the brooder anymore, they get pushed into the larger runs (if they havn't moved in on their own first). Please take this with a grain of salt, where I live, the weather is such that I don't need a heat lamp most of the day, but I do use a heat lamp in the coops at night on a timmer for the 6 weeks olds, they don't roost, they sleep in the corner under the light.