New chicks! How old would you guess?

[ChickenMama18]

We have four new chicks. Two americaunas and two barred rocks.

The two americaunas are itty bitty...guessing that they are a week or so. I took pictures of the youngest to post. The other one is slightly bigger and starting to get tail feathers while the smaller one has no tail feathers yet.

The two barred rocks are older. I'm guessing about three weeks? Of the two one is slightly older again...a bit bigger and has less white on her head. I just now realized I took pictures of the slightly older barred rock.

Here's the pictures of our new girls. Any comments as to their age?

And last a little video....(proud mommy...couldn't resist)

 

[ChickenMama18]

I have another question if you guys wouldn't mind helping this newbie out. We live in Northern California. Temps are nice right now during the day...in the 70's....dropping no lower then 55 I'd say at night. I have a little problem. I'd like to keep these four chicks together...but...what do I do in the meantime when the older ones are ready to go out but the little ones aren't? What's the youngest age you'd put out? We can rig a heat lamp out in the coop. Right now they are in one box but seperated by chicken wire so that they can still see each other but not hurt each other. I'm kinda scratching my head...if the rocks are three weeks (ish) as I suspect then they'll be big by the time the little ones catch up. Any ideas?

 

[pdsavage]

You could proubly put them together now they are young so should be easy to integrate.As to when to put them out,when they are fully feathered out.You can put a heat light out there for em if it makes you feel better.Thats what I do in the grow out pen till I think they don't need the heat anymore,wich they proubly don't once they are fully feathered.But hey its my birds and my electric bill.

If you have a draft free place in the coop with heat I would put em out there now,just don't let em outside the coop without supervision cause they are so little.

 

[kyeschicks]

hmmm.... I would say that the ameraucana is about 1-3 days old and the BR could be about a week old..

 

[kyeschicks]

I have to say that your Ameraucana is gorgeous!

 

[ChickenMama18]

Ok, I think I'll put them together this weekend when I can watch them full time and see how they do. I'll have to wait til the ameraucana's are fully feathered before putting them all out together...check got that. Probably just as well...hubby has some building to do.

Seriously...the barred rocks are only about a week!? If that's true then the barred rocks and ameraucanas are only about a week(ish) apart in age. That's not too bad. They should be ready to go together no problem.

I'm telling you...what would I do without this forum???

 

[ChickenMama18]

Quote:
Aww...thank you!

We love them!

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
No, that barred rock is a little over 3 weeks. They grows feathers fast but not that fast.

 

[staceyl]

I don't know about age, but I successfully integrated brand new girls with 2 week old girls last week and this is what I did - I pulled the big girls out and cleaned things up. Then I put the new little girls in and let them get used to things - made sure they could find the food and water. I then added the big girls back in one at a time, starting with the bottom of the pecking order. It went really smoothly. The sooner you integrate the easier it will be, I think - just be there to watch them.

 

[ChickenMama18]

We let the little ameraucanas out with the barred rocks today (outside) and it went really well. A couple little pecks but nothing major. Whoo-hoo! We put the little ones back inside and put our adult ameraucauna with the barred rocks and she could care less that they were together. The chicks...they were a little freaked at first but then interested and curious. We've had to seperate our adult ameraucana from the existing adults because they all pick on her. She's WAY at the bottom of the pecking order. So hopefully these babies can go withe her so she won't be alone. That's the plan. Oh how I pray this goes well! I get so frustrated when they hurt each other.