Picking up Chicks question

[LilMissChick]

hi Everyone!

Well my coop is darn near done (probably not as close as I’d like) and it’s getting to be the time I need to purchase chicks.

My question is, as I can only have 5 chickens I’ve kind of got my heart set on certain breeds. Faverolles, Ameraucana, mottled Houdan, Australorp, and possibly Orpington, or two of one of the kinds already mentioned.

The problem is no one hatchery, or breeder has them all where I can have access to them. And their hatching dates are all pretty dissimilar. For the Houdan to have sexed female chicks I need to get one/them this weekend. The Blue or Splash Australorp some where mid April, Orpington April (I could get a randomly coloured ameraucana this date too) 20th,Faverolles April 7th or 16th.

Can you stagger your chick dates this much? Could I get one poor little chick and raise it for weeks by itself? Then have two more for two weeks etc? I feel like if the little single Houdan wasn’t suffering from being alone, that she would then be 4 weeks old when other chickens are 1 week old.

I’m having a hard time choosing what to do with this. I was kind of thinking about having all these gentle birds and getting a pretty egg basket too. But maybe I should just get a few of two kinds to make this easier on myself?

Soooo,long story short how much age range can you have between chicks to keep them happy and healthy?

Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Here's a crazy suggestion... would you consider staggering the flock by a year or more? If you can only have 5 total, get 2 or 3 this year and then the rest next year, or the year after... that way you can get all the breeds you're hoping for and it'll help stretch out egg production (of course if you don't care about egg production at all, then this is irrelevant).

Or... would it be an option to do 2 smaller brooders?

As far as staggering within this block of ages, I'd probably only go with about a 2 week stagger, but I know other people have managed to juggle chicks within a pretty big age range. I just worry about the older chick(s) bullying the younger, plus their heat needs differ.

 

[WindingRoad]

hi Everyone!

Well my coop is darn near done (probably not as close as I’d like) and it’s getting to be the time I need to purchase chicks.

My question is, as I can only have 5 chickens I’ve kind of got my heart set on certain breeds. Faverolles, Ameraucana, mottled Houdan, Australorp, and possibly Orpington, or two of one of the kinds already mentioned.

The problem is no one hatchery, or breeder has them all where I can have access to them. And their hatching dates are all pretty dissimilar. For the Houdan to have sexed female chicks I need to get one/them this weekend. The Blue or Splash Australorp some where mid April, Orpington April (I could get a randomly coloured ameraucana this date too) 20th,Faverolles April 7th or 16th.

Can you stagger your chick dates this much? Could I get one poor little chick and raise it for weeks by itself? Then have two more for two weeks etc? I feel like if the little single Houdan wasn’t suffering from being alone, that she would then be 4 weeks old when other chickens are 1 week old.

I’m having a hard time choosing what to do with this. I was kind of thinking about having all these gentle birds and getting a pretty egg basket too. But maybe I should just get a few of two kinds to make this easier on myself?

Soooo,long story short how much age range can you have between chicks to keep them happy and healthy?

Thanks!

Can you get the one's you want all at the latest date? Maybe your coop will be done too.

 

[LilMissChick]

Hi Rosemarythyme!

That was my original plan was to stagger. But then someone mentioned that if I get two chicks this year, and there is failure to thrive, I might be out chicks or have one chicken etc.

So I thought this might be sage advice and go for 5 at once just to hedge my bets.

What think you?

Here's a crazy suggestion... would you consider staggering the flock by a year or more? If you can only have 5 total, get 2 or 3 this year and then the rest next year, or the year after... that way you can get all the breeds you're hoping for and it'll help stretch out egg production (of course if you don't care about egg production at all, then this is irrelevant).

Or... would it be an option to do 2 smaller brooders?

As far as staggering within this block of ages, I'd probably only go with about a 2 week stagger, but I know other people have managed to juggle chicks within a pretty big age range. I just worry about the older chick(s) bullying the younger, plus their heat needs differ.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How about 3 this year and then 2 the next? IF something happens to one in the first group, then you can get 3 the next time, but at least you won't end up with a solo bird right at the start.

(You're talking to someone who planned on have 12 birds total. Now three years in, I have 7... slowly going to get there!)

 

[LilMissChick]

Can you get the one's you want all at the latest date? Maybe your coop will be done too.

No unfortunately not. I could get some but not all. The Houdan’s I might not be able to get for a few years if I don’t get them this weekend. I could get straight run if I wait till April 17th but then I’m getting 50/50 chances of getting a Roo.

I might be able to get the Faverolles within a week of the Orpington and Ameraucana.

I suppose really my best bet is to just get 2 or 3 now hey? That’s much easier than trying to juggle 5 Birds from different breeders!

 

[WindingRoad]

No unfortunately not. I could get some but not all. The Houdan’s I might not be able to get for a few years if I don’t get them this weekend. I could get straight run if I wait till April 17th but then I’m getting 50/50 chances of getting a Roo.

I might be able to get the Faverolles within a week of the Orpington and Ameraucana.

I suppose really my best bet is to just get 2 or 3 now hey? That’s much easier than trying to juggle 5 Birds from different breeders![/QUOTE

I'd try for 3 because if you get 2 and you lose 1 then loneliness sets in. KWIM. If you set on the Houdan's maybe get 3 of them and 2 of another breed the is available. Then if you lose some get the others in April to make up.

 

[WindingRoad]

HMMM I don't know what happened my post shows but won't post. Must not have been that important.

 

[Missbc]

Maybe you could get a couple of houdans and sell the extra at point of lay.