Planning Some Chicken Math

[Emmasmom]

Hi all,
I have six chickens currently - 2 gold-laced wyandottes, 2 buckeyes, and 2 easter eggers. I am considering getting a couple cuckoo maran chicks (gotta love chicken math). Is this is a reasonable number to add to the flock (once they grow up of course) or do I need more? Trying not to make things too traumatic for everyone. I'm sure this issue comes up often - if someone knows of a good thread about adding to the flock please let me know. Thanks so much!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Yes you are doing the right thing by adding them not just one at a time, as the newbie would be picked on terribly. You can grab your nicest hen and put her in a cage with the two new ones for awhile, and if there is enough room to leave them for a couple of weeks (as in if you have a second pen) hopefully the hen would become their friend of sorts. But hens have their own personalities and it of course varies with the individual hen.

Make sure that the ones you add are around the same size as the older hens, if you aren't adding adults. Sixteen weeks of age is optimal for integration, as that is the age where they will stand up for themselves usually. But I have gotten away with adding younger ones, when I had quite a few to add and the older hens just get tired of chasing the youngsters around.

 

[loraleaf]

Ok so now I have a question on this topic....I have 4 waiting to be picked up after a business trip that were hatched 2-15-13 and then will be getting 4 more from the same breeder from a 3-19-13 hatch to get all the breeds I want. WIll they all be ok together? and at what age can I put them all together? I've also been offered a free silkie set to lay in june for I'm guessing she's about a month older than my oldest one....will they all be ok together? whats the best way to do this?

 

[Fred's Hens]

In our experience, 10 days is about as far apart as you can go with little baby chicks in a brooder.

But, having multiple brooders isn't that bad. Integration of the various groups is better left until they are older and running around outside. They tend to bunch up by mini-flock, as birds brooded together form their own flock and it's pretty tight.

A 5 week old chick simply is too big and powerful to be in with a week old chick. It's a mismatch of gigantic proportions.
Once they are older, this size and age difference isn't so vast. They'll be on more equal footing. There isn't a huge difference between a 10 week old bird and a 13 week old bird.

 

[loraleaf]

thanks fred...I'm glad to have some outsider input....so I'll most likely be moving the "big sisters" out to the coop when the new girls arrive....since I'm in south texas I shouldnt have too many weather concerns that would require continuing with a heat lamp for the big girls ar 4-5 weeks old.

 

[Emmasmom]

Well no cuckoo marans yet, but I got a couple cute salmon faverolles!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Well no cuckoo marans yet, but I got a couple cute salmon faverolles!

Awww they look like little angels!