Chicks are cutest thing ever,......but our girls are almost grown and won't take kindly to chicks I don't think. If we do get some,....how soon can we put them together? We've got 4 layers and want at least 3 more. Would buying juvies be better? Were in central valley, ca. Anyone in Modesto, Stockton area hear me? Love to get lucky on this thread.
The adults will NOT like chicks and will prob kill them. I tried 3 month old pullets and could not put them in with the 2 adults for at a month safely. Still some pecking order issues. The young ones need to be about the same size as the adults the fend for themselves.
I put 8 week old chicks in segregaton/integration grow out coops/pens within the run. I put up a temporary fence with garden stakes so the youngsters have a small run area of their own, with their feeder and waterer. They stay there for about 2 weeks to a month, depending on their size. The main flock gets to see and hear them, do some posturing and pecking through the fence but not hurt anybody. Chest bumps through the fence, and the like. By the time I take down the temp fence, the older birds already know who the younger ones are, and the pecking order issues are very mild. There's some chasing, some pecking, but it's more to let the youngsters know the Original Flock is higher in status and get first dibs at the feeders, waterers and any treats. This has worked for me SEVERAL times. If you don't have a separate coop, a dog house or something similar can work for the short term. Good luck and may your integration issues be minor!
Ahhh was thinkin bout puttin fence between em if I do get chicks. Thanks for the info. Husband almost bought some babies today. Glad I decided to get some info first.
I'm wondering if a mother hen will protect her chicks against the other hens in the flock. We have 4 hens and one is sitting on eggs right now. This is our first time adding younger ones to the flock.
Quote:I did the same thing this year when I added 6week olds(5) to my existing flock of 10.It worked great.
Quote:More than likely the other chickens will give momma hen a wide comfort area. I've never had a hen or a rooster pick on a broody with chicks.
i have two 5 month old and just bought some chicks last week should i keep them inside for another 7 weeks or so then do try a temporary fence ? i don't have anything i could use for s temporary coop other than a dog house but it has no door what did you use for a door? or could the just share the coop its big and i could put a temporary fence inside and then when i put them outside put them on there own side of the coop??????
We've done this and will be doing it again this week when I bring home more pullets. The only time we had problems was when a pullet got out of the separated area in with the big hens and was partly scalped. They definitely need separation for a while. Quote:
i'm still in my first year of owning chickens so i'm no expert. but this is what i've recently done.. i have 3 hens and 1 roo... hatched out a dozen eggs, kept 8 chicks... after 5 weeks in the brooder i put them in the coop/run with the adults but placed a board in front of the coop just high enough for the youngsters to go under the coop to hide... what seems to be happening after a month is the smallest adult chicken/ the lowest in the pecking order, is the one that gives the youngsters the hardest time. the other adults don't seem to care much anymore. the first week all of the adults would let them know who was boss... the funny thing was when it started getting dark once the adults were on their roost they didn't bug them at all when they came into the coop for the night....it was like a nightly truce was called every eve.... so as long as you have a place the youngsters can get away they'll be fine....
