New poultry

[NeeCee51]

Hi Peeps, I want to increase the size of my flock and am wondering the best way to do it. I currently have Light Sussex, a rooster and three hens. My husband and I would love to have some Barred Rocks and Silver Laced Wyandottes. With already having a rooster should I just get hens or get another rooster along with the hens. Thanks for any ideas..

 

[ChickyChickens]

Hi Peeps, I want to increase the size of my flock and am wondering the best way to do it. I currently have Light Sussex, a rooster and three hens. My husband and I would love to have some Barred Rocks and Silver Laced Wyandottes. With already having a rooster should I just get hens or get another rooster along with the hens. Thanks for any ideas..

Well, maybe you should egt them as chicks, online!! Then it will be much easier to get them tame since they have been hand rasied by you!!

Intergrating would also then be easier, cuase then you can just slowly but surely let them get to know each other when the chicks are young, by letting them have "play time" in the chicken coop with the others! (of course with your supervision)

 

[NeeCee51]

That's what my husband said. Do you know if they can be sexed as chicks? I wouldn't mind one more rooster but I sure don't need them to out number the hens..LOL I think that's what I will do. Now if I can find a hatchery that has both kind...Thanks so much..

 

[bobbi-j]

As with everything else in life, each way has its pros and cons. Let's start with getting chicks. You can get them sexed, but that's never a 100% guarantee, and often hatcheries will send a "bonus" chick, (aka "packing peanut"). What are your plans for this potential extra rooster? You should have a plan - it is likely to happen. You will need a brooder for a few weeks, then separate housing for the chicks until they are big enough to integrate into your flock of adults. This is usually best done when the chicks are about the same size as your current birds. Adult chickens don't like babies that they haven't raised themselves. They have been known to injure and even kill younger chickens that are not of their flock. "Play time" in the coop would not be a good idea, in my opinion. The pros are, you can skip the quarantine time since you plan on getting them from a hatchery, and you could get them used to you as they grow up so they may be a bit tamer toward you. Remember that even if they are housed next to each other so they can get acquainted through a fence, there will still be pecking order issues to sort out once they're physically in the same space.

Now, onto adults. If you were to get adult birds, it would be advisable to put them in quarantine for a good month. (I have not done this, but I rarely add adult birds to my flock, either - when I do, I get them from a trusted source and don't worry about it.) True quarantine means keeping them housed from 100 - 300 feet from your current flock. (I've read both - you may want to do more research on that) It means changing your shoes, possibly your clothes, washing your hands and keeping all feeders and waterers separate between flocks. After quarantine - if you choose to do this - you can either put them right in with your current flock and watch for too much aggressiveness as pecking order is established, or you can put them in an adjoining pen so they can get acquainted through the fence first. This may minimize the pecking order squabbles, or it may not. There will still be some when they are sharing the same space.

Ultimately, it's up to you, however you want to do it.

 

[NeeCee51]

Bobbi-j, Wow you have given me a lot to think about. I am leaning in the direction of baby chicks. I would like them to be friendly to me. The ones I have are only friendly when I have treats..Now if I can just find the ones I want. Thanks again!!

 

[Folly's place]

I only get day-old chicks from safe sources, never older birds. Biosecurity!!! You can bring home diseases that never go away, not good. Mary

 

[NeeCee51]

Thanks Folly's Place..Do you consider safe places mostly hatcheries and places like Pet Chicken? I have talked with someone that got all their new babies from Pet Chicken. Only bad thing about that is there is a minimum of usually 15 and I sure don't need 15 chicks..LOL

 

[bobbi-j]

If you have a farm supply store, you can buy just a few at a time. Most (if not all) hatcheries that mail them out have a minimum order of 15 or more.

 

[NeeCee51]

OK, I wondered if the chicks were safe to get from TSC. Thanks..

 

[lazy gardener]

Only if you're not particular about what kind of birds you get. A lot depends on the management of the individual store. I'd not do business with my local store. The last few times I've gone there for feed, I've walked away without buying any since a lot of it has been on the shelves for 5 MONTHS.