The EE braggers thread!!!

[Habibs Hens]

It was
. It was all supervised time so I didn't let anything happen. They are growing out of their grow out pen very quickly. Silly girls!

7 weeks is too young (* I don't even let mine out of the brooder before 7 weeks (although heat is stopped at 4))

all hens will peck as its all about pecking order young chicks will get killed its happened to me the rump was pecked till the chick bled to death as it hid in a corner

16 weeks is best as they are strong enough to run away and withstand the onslaught as the pecking order is established

 

[Habibs Hens]

here are my lovely EE chicks

my own creation from LAV Araucana X barnyard Hybrids and LAV Araucana X Leghorns

There are also 8 Pure Breed Punnet Cream Legbars there








my favourite at the moment it this black one

I noticed the perfect symmetry on its face a white dot on either check and line below beak and ring neck

and then what looks like duck wings

white wing tips both side

perfect symmetry

 

[debid]

7 weeks is too young (* I don't even let mine out of the brooder before 7 weeks (although heat is stopped at 4))

all hens will peck as its all about pecking order young chicks will get killed its happened to me the rump was pecked till the chick bled to death as it hid in a corner

16 weeks is best as they are strong enough to run away and withstand the onslaught as the pecking order is established

Were you standing there watching it happen? The key phrase was "supervised time" to interact. I'm doing the same. My chicks are six weeks now and one challenged a hen today and was put in her place but it's been remarkably uneventful since I started the supervised co-range time a couple weeks ago.

 

[Habibs Hens]

Were you standing there watching it happen? The key phrase was "supervised time" to interact. I'm doing the same. My chicks are six weeks now and one challenged a hen today and was put in her place but it's been remarkably uneventful since I started the supervised co-range time a couple weeks ago.

unfortunately I wasn't

if I was it would not of happened

supervised is good but sometimes even supervised can be fatal as you may not get to them in time to break up a peck that could be aimed at an eye

I was giving my advice that's all.. after all you know your hens and know what the limits are

for me its 16 weeks min as my hens are a bit lethal to youngens

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Introductions is definitely one area where there is no one size fits all answer. I put mine in the coop in a dog crate at 5 weeks and they have been "loose" in the coop since 6.5. We did have two chicks who got "plucked" by our Drake so he had to be separated at night for awhile but now they all coexist and the 2 chicks are re-feathering. Granted they are 2 separate groups (they don't do much together) but there is not violence.

 

[debid]

I see. I'm doing it this way *because* I had a fatality when trying an introduction of POL pullets. The rooster responsible is no longer but I'm still approaching with caution. I realize there is some risk involved putting chicks in the vicinity of hens no matter what but I am exercising caution by doing it outside (no corners) and being attentive. It's less about age and size difference for me than watching and gauging reactions. Lots of ways to accomplish an integration.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I agree Debid. I have pretty laid back girls and no rooster but the hens that my grandma had were ruthless so she just did all old out and all new in every 2 years.

 

[ChickNmamma]

here are my lovely EE chicks

my own creation from LAV Araucana X barnyard Hybrids and LAV Araucana X Leghorns

There are also 8 Pure Breed Punnet Cream Legbars there








my favourite at the moment it this black one

I noticed the perfect symmetry on its face a white dot on either check and line below beak and ring neck

and then what looks like duck wings

white wing tips both side

perfect symmetry

Awww, too cute! Thanks for the pictures.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I have a broken camera so no photos. But. I am going to brag anyway My red & white rooster who I posted earlier is starting to get really glossy red feathers on his shoulders and a few black tail feathers. It is exciting how they change so much from day to day. I think I may be hooked. Kind of a ironic from someone who just last summer went to great lengths and lots of research to find the perfect breed b/c I wanted uniformity with no surprises...this spring I did a 180 and got variety....EE's, California Whites, Brahmas, Orpington and Cayuga Ducks (gray eggs).....darned chicken math haha

 

[Flowerbh]

I thought my Easter Eggers were so sweet until today! I have 3 chicks that have been growing out in a little pen inside the run. They are 7 weeks old. Today I let them out in the run to see what happened. Everyone left them alone except for the EEs!! The ran around pecking at them, I was so surprised! Will it take a long time to integrate?

Your young chicks need to be at least 3/4 the size of the adults before you introduce them. Then, you should put them inside the run in a crate or something where the older chicks can get used to seeing them. Then, after about a week, at night when the older hens are asleep, put those younger girls on the roosts beside the older ones. That way, they all wake up together. You still need to watch them, and there will still be some jousting for pecking order, but they should all settle in. I was lucky that my younger group had my rooster growing up with them. The rooster made sure the "siblings" he grew up with were not picked on! Good luck!