Yippee!! My first chicks, but a question...

[NashChic]

I am the proud owner of 8 new chicks... 4 RIRs, 2 barred rocks, and 2 buff orps. The RIRs and buffs are about 4 weeks and the barred rocks are about 3 weeks. They are chirping away in my bathroom. Coop and run are finished, but I think I'll keep 'em close for a while... sooo proud

I think I got everything I wanted from this one breeder, except I'd like to have a couple Australorps. My question is... Would it be okay to add a couple chicks from somewhere else in with these, or would I have to keep them separated? I mean if they were all relatively close in age. I know different flocks have different germs and different immunities, so would the same quarantining be required at this age as it would be if I were introducing a new hen into an existing flock?

Thanks!!

I gotta get some pics up soon

PS. Is it okay to give these chicks grasshoppers and mealworms for treats and can I over treat them with those?

 

[debilorrah]

Ok, are the chicks you have purchased or hatched from your own birds? Any new chickens need to be kept seperated for 30 days in case of illness.

You can try grasshoppers but I have found that my chicks do not have a clue what to do with a treat til they are about 8 weeks old, and even then they peck it for a while before they realize they can eat it! Yogurt goes over better!

 

[NashChic]

They are chicks that I purchased. I had a feeling that I would need to quarantine. That's the main reason I wanted to find a breeder that had most of the breeds I wanted. I think I might just wait until I have one go broody (a while down the road) then get some fertile Australorp eggs for her to sit on... see what happens. These 8 should hold me for a while.

I did put a grasshopper in and it was the biggest fun ever!!! The 2 younger BRs were lost at first, but the others were hilarious!!! It was like a rowdy game of keep-away. Should I worry about overdoing it with the insects, or is it okay to feed them what they will eat?

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I find mine to be just like children in that they will eat the "junk food" before they eat their normal food. Just keep the treats to a minimum until they are a little bigger. Yogurt is great in that you can dip your finger in it and the babies start learning that you are the Bringer of All Good Things and not the Evil Hand from Above.

Congrats on your new babies! (And go NASHVILLE!

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