putting chicks with chicken

[mamato3]

Hello ive decided to get chickens again. Problem being i want eggs now but also want to raise a few from chicks. So i was wondering can i buy 1 hen and 5 to 10 chicks. My thinking is her being lonely she would take them in easier then if she had a hen buddy. I could always get 2 hens and then make a separate area in the coop and let the babies feather out in there. But when would be a good time to let the chicks in with the hens.
So asking all chicken experts how should i go about this get 1 or 2 hens and a few chicks or forget about chicks and just get the hens.

 

[angidee]

If you get a hen...I suggest a couple to go with her.
As for chicks with hens, I actually just posted the same question.
I have 4 hens and I have 19 chicks growing up in the run next to the hens. I realized I may have a situation since the chicks eat their starter feed and hens eat layer feed..

Definitely interested in hearing what others who have blended chicks & hens have to say!!!

 

[zowieyellowflame]

I raised several babies in a pen next to adults last yr. (all hens, 1 roo) I even tried putting the odd hen in with the chicks (not same as your situation but simular) and she was mean. How old are the chicks? That is likely the deciding factor.

 

[canada-goose]

A hen will probably just peck the chicks to death unless she's broody. How about just getting the chicks and raising them yourself? It really isn't too hard.

 

[ericsplls]

Unless the hen has been broody for a while she probably won't take too well to the chicks. angidee has an advantage because her chicks are growing up in a run next to the grown hens and hopefully they can see each other. If they had a good mother hen that hatched them she would protect them. Just throwing some chicks in with a hen will likely leave you with more dead chicks than live ones. If you could put a wire brooder in the chicken pen they may get used to them by the time it's time for the chicks to come out the brooder. As far as food good for both the hens and biddies I like a gamebird starter/grower. Some people like purina's flock raiser but I prefer more than 18% protien for chicks unless they are being raised by a freeranging broody. You will also need to give oyster shell for the laying hens for enough calcium.

 

[lilredchick]

I have/had the same issue. I had 2yo hens and then got some 1yo hens, put the pen out side by the older ones, did that for awhile. Then I put them together, the older hens still picked on the other hens. Even a year later the older hens tend to single the younger ones out.

Then I just added a rooster to the bunch, and the older hens picked on him too. He is now hang'n with the younger hens. oh well.

Of course now we are building a bigger coop and I have went from 6 chickens to 55 chickens. Im going to let the younger ones have the run of the new coop for awhile before adding the older hens. We will see what happens.