Hello all! I am very new to chickens...I started out with 2 chicks from a farm store Easter weekend. I have no idea what breed they are, they are just now getting their wing feathers. I am looking into getting 25 new chicks, hopefully within the next few weeks. It all depends on how soon my hubby can build the coop!! my question is do I have to separate the different breeds of chicks or can they all live together? I am interested in: 4 Barred Rocks, 4 RIR, 4 New Hampshires, 4 Araucanas, 2 speckled sussex, 3 silver laced wyandotte, 2 golden laced wyandotte, and 2 buff orpingtons. Is there an issue with doing this when I order from a hatchery? (thinking of Healthy Hatchery, Cincy) They were all so beautiful, I couldn't decide!! we were thinking of an 8'x12' coop with a 8'x40' run (adjacent to our garden) Is this sufficient for that many birds? any advice is appreciated!!
Hi and welcome to BYC! All the chicks you plan to order can live peacefully together, no problem. The ones you will have to seperate will be the ones you have now from the new babies. By the time your new ones arrive your two big girls will be big enough to bully. Only having two against 25 you might get away with it, but keep that in mind. For coop space, you should figure 4 sq. ft. per standard sized chicken. Double that for your run. You can get away with a little less space if you free range at least part-time. Good luck on your new adventure.
They should all be alright together. The only thing I would worry about is roosters. Having too many roosters can cause stress on the hens and fights to break out at times between the roosters.
I wasn't planning on getting any roosters. From all I have read, they aren't needed for egg production. I really didn't want to deal with a rooster, but may get one in the future? At what age would it be okay to introduce to my 2 other chicks? Once they all get their feathers?
