What age should I get?

[BackyardinWales]

Thank you, I've been calling my girls hens when they're technically pullets.

I hatched all mine so they were in the house and my 3 cats got used to them, but they wouldn't have survived without being contained.

I guess a lot comes down to how they fit into your life. So long as the dogs are taught they're not a toy (however much they aqueak) ultimately it's your decision.

I wouldn't give up my chance to get to know them as chicks, but there is some good wisdom on here.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

If it's inside the run area you'll need to subtract the amount of space it's eating up inside the run - i.e. with my coop set up, because it's sitting entirely inside the run I lose 60 sq ft of run space. It's only not an issue since my total run space is 20x25 for 12 birds, so I far exceed the recommended minimum.

I thought that was only true if the coop was on the ground (rather than raised off of it)?

 

[Moon Daizy]

Sorry, haven’t had time to read all the comments, so sorry if this has already been shared.

This article is brilliant (link below). I’d go for chicks if you want them tame and used to your dogs. We currently have chicks, and they are not quite 2 weeks old but the dog is already treating them like another household pet, which she is grudgingly sharing her home with! I still don’t trust her, but I can see she is different to the chicks as opposed to wild, outdoor birds

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-tame-chickens-from-the-start.67246/

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

I guess I'm confused by the term "pullets". I always thought that referred to larger chickens but Googling says they are very young. So maybe that's a vote for "young" but you mentioned "they can take care of themselves more" so I thought you meant "fully grown".

Rooster/Cock: A male chicken over the age of one year old.
Hen: A female chicken over the age of one year old.
Cockerel: A male chicken under the age of one year old.
Pullet: A female chicken under the age of one year old.
Bullstag: A rooster of a gamefowl breed.
Stag: A cockerel of a gamefowl breed.
Capon: A castrated cockerel or rooster.

You will sometimes see people say that a pullet turns into a hen when she begins laying eggs but this is not true. The average time a female begins laying is when she is six months old, so she would still be a pullet. A chicken is only an adult when they are one year old or older.

New challenge: if I go for week olds, that's too early to sex them, correct? I only want hens.
Sue

It depends on what age you refer to as "week olds." The average time I can sex my chicks is when they turn two weeks old, and the time when their gender is obvious is when they are six weeks.

My original plan was the fully-feathered chicks but I'm also very excited at the prospect of having very young chicks in the house for a few weeks while we set up the perfect outdoor habitat.

If you are looking to bond with your chickens and have a better chance of them not being flighty, get chicks.

I think my biggest consideration and concern is: what is the best age to introduce my three dogs to new family members?

Here is where getting chicks comes in handy. Due to them being a domestic species, chickens are less scared of dogs than any other predator, since humans have had dogs with chickens for so long. I do not know how your dogs act because I do not know your dogs, so I cannot speak on that. But getting hens or laying pullets will more likely trigger your dogs into thinking "prey" than showing them chicks－plus chicks will be less startled by dogs than older birds. Always make sure your chickens stay away from the dogs and the dogs are trained to ignore them for the most part.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Thank you all so much for the helpful suggestions, links and comments. Been working hard in the yard getting the area ready, cleaning and scrubbing all the coop and run components, feeders, waterers, swings, heaters, and all the other items I received from a relative. The spare bedroom is ready for some young chicks as soon as my brooder plate arrives (today) so I will head out to find some baby chicks in the next few days. Hardly able to sleep these days due to my excitement!

I've done animal rescue and rehab for decades so I'm pretty good at caring for and taming very young animals (and some older ones, too) so I look forward to nurturing some chicks and teaching my dogs they are family.

I will start a new thread with my next question, and be prepared, there will be SO MANY over the next few months! Thank you all for being here and sharing your experience.
Sue

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I am very excited to see your next phase and can't wait to see pics of your chicks and watch them (and you!) grow! A tip for posting pics: take pics in natural or white light. But ... you won't be using a red heat lamp, will you? Have fun!

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

I am very excited to see your next phase and can't wait to see pics of your chicks and watch them (and you!) grow! A tip for posting pics: take pics in natural or white light. But ... you won't be using a red heat lamp, will you? Have fun!

I have all kinds of lights in all kinds of places for supplementing so many living things, but the only red light I have in my house is the one over my brine shrimp hatchery to feed to my seahorse fry.
Sue

 

[Farmgirl283420]

I would LOVE to get the little fluffballs, nothing like raising a pet from a very young age to get them acclimated and getting to know them and watch them develop. But I would be too afraid to put the very young outside.... regardless of how predator proof I make the area, the little girls could still squeeze between the little gaps between the run panels and a determined raccoon or other predator could easily pull one through if they get close to the edge.

Regarding a heatlamp, I have tons of them around since I have a lot of animals and rehab a lot of abandoned animals, but I'm thinking I wouldn't even need to since it's now gotten very warm here in CT. Both of my spare bedrooms are on the third level of the house and WOW it gets warm up there when the door is closed. I could have a heat lamp handy just in case we get another cool night, but the upstairs stays warm and we don't have central air, only room AC's.
I wouldn't mind the dust (too much) in the spare room that I use for miscellaneous storage and my pet hamster. What's a little more shavings on the floor, right?
Sue

There’s nothing like a little chick! I just love my rooster and hens but there’s nothing like little fluffballs!

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

There’s nothing like a little chick! I just love my rooster and hens but there’s nothing like little fluffballs!

So perhaps I should start with a low number of chicks since it sounds like every year I will be craving another fluffball or two!
Sue

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Dogs usualy adjust fast, they seem to think chickens are dogs. It also depends on whether you have a terrier, sadly, they have some trouble.

I have a dog with a high prey drive... Tried to kill my duckling a few times.