- May 2, 2014
- 9
- 4
- 37
I am very new to raising chickens. Have wanted to for awhile now, but my husband wasn't on the band wagon. Then one day about 4 weeks ago, he surprised me with 24 (yes 24!) baby chicks in a 150 gallon tub and a plan for a coop. Awww. Thank goodness for this site, that's all I have to say. Talk about a crash course in chicken raising.
The one thing I didn't know was how fast they grow. Needless to say, I had to get another 150 gallon tub, and I separated them. The coop is still under construction and is awesome. Was supposed to be ready tomorrow, but probably won't be until the day after.
My greatest fear occurred today. They started to peck. I put that poor chick by herself into an infirmary, and she seems okay.
My question is, when I put them all back together into the coop, how should that be handled? They have been apart for a week or so. Will they remember each other? What about the pecked chicken? She had blood on the base of her tail feathers. We put some blue-coat on her. Should we wait to introduce her until she is completely healed?
I know that the situation they are in is far from ideal, and has been stressful for us all. It was just a matter of time before they would start pecking. They are just so confined. Rain delayed the coop building. After all this, I want to ask my husband, "what should come first, the chicken or the coop? I know the answer!
But, I'm hooked. I love my chickens! This weekend, they will be free of their brooders!
The one thing I didn't know was how fast they grow. Needless to say, I had to get another 150 gallon tub, and I separated them. The coop is still under construction and is awesome. Was supposed to be ready tomorrow, but probably won't be until the day after.
My greatest fear occurred today. They started to peck. I put that poor chick by herself into an infirmary, and she seems okay.
My question is, when I put them all back together into the coop, how should that be handled? They have been apart for a week or so. Will they remember each other? What about the pecked chicken? She had blood on the base of her tail feathers. We put some blue-coat on her. Should we wait to introduce her until she is completely healed?
I know that the situation they are in is far from ideal, and has been stressful for us all. It was just a matter of time before they would start pecking. They are just so confined. Rain delayed the coop building. After all this, I want to ask my husband, "what should come first, the chicken or the coop? I know the answer!
But, I'm hooked. I love my chickens! This weekend, they will be free of their brooders!
