What should I do....

[mrsgibber]

about adding to my flock? I am getting rid of my sweet boy Bert because he is too noisy for our neighbors. We would like to replace him with pullets and feel like it would be best to introduce two instead of one chick to the flock. Here is the problem/issue:

I have 4 standards & 1 very small bantam (who holds her own with the big girls) that are almost 17 weeks.

I would be adding two Buff Orps that are 3 weeks. I would of course keep them separated in my brooder but at what age would I be able to let them into the coop for sleeping at night and in the run during the day? We are taking a vacation when the chicks would be 9 weeks old and the older girls would be 22 weeks. I really don't want my house sitter having to deal with keeping these guys separated while we are away that week. Do you think by then I'd be able to have them incorporated into my older flock or should I wait and get new chicks after we return? My feeling about waiting until August is that the babies would be young going into the colder months.

I had my older flock into the coop by the time they were 7 weeks old.

So, go ahead and get them now or wait until August???

Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think you should check out this link before you decide.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock

I'd probably get them and try to mix them at a fairly young age, but be prepared to have them in a separate brooder for my sitter to take care of in case it did not work. Depends on your situation and your sitter. It's not so much that I trust my sitter, but I trust her mother to see that I can trust my sitter.

 

[mrsgibber]

Wow that was really good info. I still can't decide however if I should add them now or wait. My current flock was feathered out by 6 weeks when the went to the coop so if the new ones do the same then I'd have three weeks to get them all acqainted before I went on vacation.

 

[mrsgibber]

anyone else think I should get em now or wait til August?