newcomer in sonoma county, with starter questions

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lawatt

lawatt

Songster
7 Years
Jul 7, 2012
2,345
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206
sonoma county
hello all, from sonoma county, CA --

a friend has offered to help me build a coop, there's a pile of lumber in the driveway, and we're starting construction on monday -- very exciting!

and i have a few questions for those with more experience here:

1) another friend has a 5-week-old female australorp chick (being raised by one of her hens which had gone broody) that she would like me to adopt, but due to her crazy schedule (her daughter is getting married, huge family get-together, etc), I won't be able to pick the chick up until after July 22. I am also hoping to buy another pullet (or two, they are cuckoo marans) of the same age, probably this weekend -- and so am wondering, is there likely be much trouble introducing the two/three birds? they'd be the same age, but arriving in the coop a few weeks apart -- and all meeting for the first time at the age of about 8 weeks.

2) i'm ALSO planning to get an additional 4 baby chicks in august, which i'll raise separately in a brooder until they're old enough to live in the coop -- but they'll be about 10 weeks younger than the other birds. my idea is, once they're old enough to live without the heat lamp, to move their (covered with wire) brooder into the enclosed run of the coop, so that they can get to know each other before all intermingling -- does this sound like it would work, or are the older pullets likely to overly-harass the younger ones?

i've been having a fabulous time researching breeds, and trying to get myself up to speed for this new endeavor -- thanks for all the collective wisdom here on this site!

best,
laura
 
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Welcome, Santa Rosa here :)

Let me know if you need some chicks i have my next hatch coming early august.
 
thanks, but the august chicks are already on order -- but i appreciate the welcome!

would it be better to ask these questions in the chick-raising forum, rather than here in the new member section?
 
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Greetings to you from Sonoma County! Congrats on the soon to be coop, and welcome the world of chickens! Sounds like you already know the problems that can sometimes occur when combining groups of different ages. Generally folks recommend that the chicks be close to the same size before combining groups, but it also depends in the temperament of the individuals. However you try it, just make sure to monitor carefully for a while, and also to make sure the newbies are allowed access to food and water.

I added 3 two wk chicks to a group that was only one week older and there were no problems at all. (One of the younger chicks had a hernia that needed to heal first.) I think it's easier when they are young. What's interesting is that now at 4 months, the original 3 youngsters tend to keep together as a little group. They interact with the others, but they have their little clique!

California - Northern is a good thread that lots of friendly CA chicken fanatics subscribe to. You can get good advice here and meet folks close to you. (Well, sort of close, N.CA being larger than some states!)

Good luck and happy chickens!
frow.gif
 
Hi there!! A big welcome from Good Old Napa Valley, CA!
Cool to see someone so close by on here! Hope you enjoy your chicks
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Hi and :welcome

1) You can expect there to be a bit of scrabbling for determining the 'pecking order' when the pullets first meet each other, but you probably won't get the same level of attacking that there would be with an already established flock. :lol:

2) Now would be the time to take extra precautions - younger and new birds will often get teamed up on by the original flock. But you can have a successful integration if you give everyone a chance to get used to having the others around - keep them in separate pens where they can see each other, and have more than one feeder so if the new birds get chased away they can still get something to eat.

Good luck, and enjoy your chickens!
 
thank you, everyone -- so helpful!

i laid out the site of the new coop this morning -- we start work on it tomorrow! it's partly under an oak tree, so will get sun in the morning (in the summer, at least) but be shaded in the afternoon:
 
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