Newbie with two flocks of chicks, another of pullets, and another of guineas! What do I do?

[Stormimay]

I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I have, right now, a 9 guineas and 8 chicks in a brooder on my back porch. The guineas are 3 weeks old. The chicks are 4-5 weeks old. I have arriving in 3 days another 10 pullets (edited to add: these are from Ideal Poultry, which I just realized defines pullet as a female chicken and says nothing about the age. So I don't know what age these will actually be). Next week I am getting 10 6-7 week old chicks. I have a coop that is 9x5 feet with 5 nesting boxes, no run yet, one 2x2 tractor, two small plastic brooders and a 42 inch dog crate brooder. Who should go where, who can be put together, who needs quarantined, and yes, I know I need to build the run asap! Anything else I should know/do? Help! Thank you!

 

[Chick Charm]

It will be a challenge but all can be integrated. Likely you will be getting day old chicks form ideal unless you specified "started pullets". Integrating the day olds with the 4-5 weeks old is a stretch but can be done. Integrating the 6-7 week old will be difficult with the new chicks but again can be done. I have integrated day old with 5 week olds and it worked out but that is a stretch in age that proves difficult. You may want to set up a separate brooder and wait 4 weeks with the day olds. You'll figure it out.

Wish ya the best.

 

[donrae]

I'm not going to mention the guineas, cause I have absolutely no experience with them

. But otherwise, it shouldn't be too difficult....

Integrating chicks really isn't near as big a deal as with older birds. Chicks' social structure is still being established, they don't have positions to defend like mature birds do.


Move your 4+ week chicks to the coop now. You may or may not need to run a heat lamp out there to run at night for a week or so, depending on your weather.

When you get your older chicks, just put them in with the chicks in the coop. They're all babies, integration isn't a big thing as with older birds. Sounds like you have a decent amount of space, and put up some hiding places for littles to get away from any more aggressive chicks and you should be good to go.

Hatcheries sell either day old chicks, or point of lay pullets. You're not going to get a month old chick from a hatchery. You'll know if you ordered a started pullet (around 5 month) by the price and lack of selection on breed. So, assume you're getting day olds. Brood them until they're 4+ weeks, then put them in the coop. The run should be done by then, and again have hiding places.


You are going to have to do some construction, though. Even not counting the guineas, you've got 28 birds. Your coop is less than half as large as you're going to need for that many adult birds. Your run is going to have to be around 400 square feet, once you toss in those guineas.

Have you talked to Ideal to see if they're sending extra males for warmth? Even though it's warmer outside, with only 10 chicks in an order you're likely to get several packing peanut males, if they're sending those you'll need to have a plan for them, also.