Background information:
I am the city half of a beautiful chicken partnership. My country friend wanted to grow her flock but didn't want the work of baby chicks. I wanted baby chicks for kids at summer camp to hold and enjoy but didn't want to worry about a whole flock of city dwelling chickens. After playing this game successfully all summer, my friend's husband impulsively put some eggs in the incubator early this fall and hatched out some beautiful and random mutt babies. One of these mutts was born with a club foot and so she and two others were given to me to start my city flock. I was planning to order some favorelles in the spring to start a tiny city flock, but I got surprise fall babies instead. Anyhow, the chicks are now between 5-7 weeks old.
The problem:
Two of the three chicks in my city flock look to be cockerels. I need city hens.
The solution:
My country friend says she will happily trade out my cockerels for two pullets.
The question:
Is it better for my little club-footed girl to live with the boys she knows and the established pecking order they currently have this winter and then for me to introduce new favorelle chicks in the spring when the cockerels move out; or is it better to trade out the boys now for some similar aged and similar family girls? If I am taking up the trade in offer this fall, do I trade both boys at once or do I trade the definite cockerel and keep the most likely cockerel for a little longer to ease the transition?
Thanks! All opinions are appreciated.
I am the city half of a beautiful chicken partnership. My country friend wanted to grow her flock but didn't want the work of baby chicks. I wanted baby chicks for kids at summer camp to hold and enjoy but didn't want to worry about a whole flock of city dwelling chickens. After playing this game successfully all summer, my friend's husband impulsively put some eggs in the incubator early this fall and hatched out some beautiful and random mutt babies. One of these mutts was born with a club foot and so she and two others were given to me to start my city flock. I was planning to order some favorelles in the spring to start a tiny city flock, but I got surprise fall babies instead. Anyhow, the chicks are now between 5-7 weeks old.
The problem:
Two of the three chicks in my city flock look to be cockerels. I need city hens.
The solution:
My country friend says she will happily trade out my cockerels for two pullets.
The question:
Is it better for my little club-footed girl to live with the boys she knows and the established pecking order they currently have this winter and then for me to introduce new favorelle chicks in the spring when the cockerels move out; or is it better to trade out the boys now for some similar aged and similar family girls? If I am taking up the trade in offer this fall, do I trade both boys at once or do I trade the definite cockerel and keep the most likely cockerel for a little longer to ease the transition?
Thanks! All opinions are appreciated.
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