want to add a full grown chicken

[busymadre]

Hey all,

I am getting 6 chicks on Friday. They will be a few days old.
My coop is just about complete and the enclosed run will be going up soon too (prob in a few weeks). Considering to get an adult hen at that time: to help prepare my garden area and get eggs right away.

Don't have any other hens, but was wondering if I got a chicken that is ready to lay eggs and the 6 chicks, do you think that would work?
Would get a full grown hen (from the same friend who has a farm full of hens where I am getting my chicks so I can rely on the health) and then my new chicks would be 2-3 weeks old. The little ones would still be in the brooder in the house while the older hen would be outside in the coop.

Does anyone have any thoughts? Should I just get the chicks and wait for them to all get older together and forget about getting an older hen?

 

[olefarmersdaughter]

If they were put together, the adult would more than likely kill the babies. I don't know how the one older chicken would do by itself alone in the coop. It would be better if you brought home two adults together as they don't like to be alone.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

No, you can't keep one older hen by herself very easily, because she'll be under a lot of stress living alone. Three is pretty much the minimum number of hens that will be happy together. And you can't put an older hen with young chicks because she'll kill the chicks. At a few weeks, they just won't be big enough to defend themselves. In fact, you don't want to introduce your new babies to older birds until they're around 18 weeks old, at point of lay. Then they're big enough to handle the harassing the existing hens will give them.

I would either get three older hens and keep your babies separate until they're at least 18 weeks old, or not get the older hen at all.

 

[busymadre]

Yea - I agree. Figured it wouldn't work.
Thanks for replying.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Good luck! I know how it is--waiting for those first eggs is excruciating!