Raising 8 chicks—will they be as friendly?

[Tunie B]

I’m raising my 3rd batch of chicks in a couple weeks—first time ordering from Myer Hatchery. I’m excited about some of the calm, friendly breeds I chose: Lavender Orpington, Salmon Favorelles, Speckled Sussex. I have a couple hybrids that have a good chance of friendliness—the Olive Egger I hope is part Black Copper Marans (my BCM is very sweet), and the Green Queen hopefully will be a Salmon Favorelle cross (just speculation based on breed reviews on Myer Hatchery website).

Anyways—this is the first time I’ve raised 8 chicks at a time. I started in 2020 with 6 chicks. This spring I raised 4 and it was perfect. I’m a little worried that 8 will be too much. I definitely want to transition them to a grow-out coop sooner than the other times; I saw some folks here transition with a heating pad “hen” early to an outdoor brooder. I might attempt that.

Any tips or tricks on raising 8? I’m very excited about my new girls. Just hope they will be just as friendly as if I’d raised fewer. I plan to spend time getting them used to people and handling.

*fingers crossed no Roos.

TIA!

 

[igorsMistress]

It’s not really any different than 4 or 6, just a couple more so nothing really different to do. The breeds you choose don’t really matter, it’s the attention you give them as chicks that often determines their future behavior.

In my experience intros are best done when your newbies are about 4 weeks old. They’re old enough to run and get away from your older crew but not yet old enough to be seen as a problem for resources. Also, the earlier you expose them to some dirt from your yard the better. After a day or two at home just give them a pan of dirt from your chicken yard and they’ll take little dust baths in it.

 

[Tunie B]

It’s not really any different than 4 or 6, just a couple more so nothing really different to do. The breeds you choose don’t really matter, it’s the attention you give them as chicks that often determines their future behavior.

In my experience intros are best done when your newbies are about 4 weeks old. They’re old enough to run and get away from your older crew but not yet old enough to be seen as a problem for resources. Also, the earlier you expose them to some dirt from your yard the better. After a day or two at home just give them a pan of dirt from your chicken yard and they’ll take little dust baths in it.

Thanks! My first batch were all Easter Eggers and I adore them, but they are much more flighty.

 

[igorsMistress]

Thanks! My first batch were all Easter Eggers and I adore them, but they are much more flighty.

You might get better results as you go along, you’ve had practice so you’re more confident and I think animals can sense that.

 

[Tunie B]

Yes, definitely! My roosters were a crash course, lol. My new approach is to order only pullets and to not allow any bold moves from suspected roos. I thought my spring Silver-Laced Wyandotte might have been a roo. She appears to be a friendly pullet now, but I was careful to not allow any potential bad behavior like pecking me as a chick.

 

[wamtazlady]

Yes, definitely! My roosters were a crash course, lol. My new approach is to order only pullets and to not allow any bold moves from suspected roos. I thought my spring Silver-Laced Wyandotte might have been a roo. She appears to be a friendly pullet now, but I was careful to not allow any potential bad behavior like pecking me as a chick.

Always keep in mind that vent sexing chicks is only 90% accurate. I always figure that for every 10 chicks I order, 1 or 2 might be roos. When I get an order that are all pullets I consider myself very lucky.

 

[Tunie B]

Always keep in mind that vent sexing chicks is only 90% accurate. I always figure that for every 10 chicks I order, 1 or 2 might be roos. When I get an order that are all pullets I consider myself very lucky.

Oh yes, definitely. I have decided to rehome any accidental roos that come in this group. I got very lucky with spring, but then again 2 were Welsummer pullets (so, only 2 others needed to be correctly sexed).

 

[BlondieSoup]

My EEs from Meyer are my flightiest chickens, to the point that it’s ridiculous. We just roll our eyes while they almost kill themselves panicking because we sort of walk in their direction. My last EE from Ideal was much more calm (friendly enough, but not cuddley-friendly). On the other hand, my speckled sussex from Meyer is so cute and social with us. Hopefully yours has a similar disposition. I almost went with the lavender orp and green queen this year too, but ended up trying some bantams that are supposed to be docile. They haven’t arrived yet, but I keep second guessing my decision to skip the lavender orp in particular. Please update about their personalities as they grow!

 

[Red Horse]

I started out my first flock with 8 from Meyer in May. Both my sussexes ended up roosters... one is very sweet and cuddly and the other is respectful but not friendly. I adore my olive egger, she's very very smart and expressive. She's not laying yet but idc about her eggs really, she's just a fun chicken. I thought 8 worked out great for me, I just made sure to handle each one in turn every day, even if it's just picking them up for a brief lookover. They all swarm me any time I sit down in the yard and clamor for a place on my lap, except the unfriendly rooster, who watches for hawks.