Everything so far is going very well with the girls. I just helped my friend incubate so I have 5 little chicks currently in a home made brooder box. how do I tell if the chicks are hens or roosters? and at what age should I be able to introduce them to the other chickens especially considering its already getting pretty cold out, really chilly at night! will I need to move their heat lamp to the coop for a bit?
So glad you joined us. Sexing new borns can be difficult, depends on the breeds you have, some can be sexed by colors, markings, wing feathers. But most need to be older to know for sure. You can try posting photos on what breed/gender is this? Don't know where you are or how cold your area is…but most wait til at least 5 -6 weeks and getting real feathers to move out. Heat lamps in coops can be worrisome. I think regular lights are safer. Be sure to check out the learning centers and raising baby chickens forums…you can get some specific help there. Good luck with your new flock.
Hello there and welcome to BYC! It is best to wait until chicks are a bit older. In a few weeks you might post clear closeup pics of your birds and post them in our What Breed and Gender section....https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/15/what-breed-or-gender-is-this You will need to wait until they are at least 3 months old before they can be mixed with larger or adult birds. The can get hurt of you mix them into an adult flock. As long as they have each other to snuggle with, they can keep themselves warm. Make sure your coop is not drafty near the roost bar but has good ventilation in the eaves or ceiling of the coop. Keep the chicks in a cage about 3 weeks before mixing in the flock. Keep them around the flock in the run or coop. Everybody sees, nobody touches. When you do mix these chicks into the flock, make sure to add more feeding and watering stations as the older birds are going to guard these areas and can starve them out. Enjoy your new babies and we do welcome you to our flock!
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. TwoCrows has given you some good advice. Unless you have sex link chicks which can be sexed by color from hatching, your chicks are too young to sex accurately. When they are about 5-6 weeks, post them on the What Breed or Gender is This? link that TwoCrows left you with and our experts there should be able to sex them for you. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. What kind of chicks do you have?