I swore that I would take more pictures of the baby chicks this time around, and I totally didn’t do it. They just grow so fast; before you know it, their feathers are in and they’re starting to look like chickens instead of little stuffed animals.
I’m really excited about some of the breeds we have. Up until now, our flock has been 100% ameraucanas, so our eggs are a lovely mix of pastel greens and blues.
Introducing New Chicks into the Flock
When we placed this order with the hatchery, we decided to worry less about egg color and more about having an interesting flock with a large assortment of breeds.
I’m particularly taken with the blue-laced red wyandottes, one of which held still long enough for me to take a picture: I ordered us a couple of special roosters too.
This guy was absolutely not excited about the camera, but you can see how long his tail feathers already are. He’s a phoenix, a rare variety where the roosters have wonderfully dramatic tail feathers. (Click here for some pictures to get an idea of what I mean)
The baby chicks growing up means that it’s time for them to join the big girls in the main coop. If we had tons of space, I would keep them separate for another few months, but we don’t. Check here to find out how to choose the appropriate coops for your flock.
I swore that I would take more pictures of the baby chicks this time around, and I totally didn’t do it. They just grow so fast; before you know it, their feathers are in and they’re starting to look like chickens instead of little stuffed animals. The Only Book You Need to Become Self-Sufficient on ¼…
I’ve learned a few things about this process over the years, (some of which might conflict with information you may read elsewhere, which usually advises against different age groups in the same coop).
It’s completely possible to combine multiple age groups of chickens into one space. Ideally, you can keep them separate until they’re full-grown, but not everyone has that much room. Here are the tricks that I’ve learned over the years:
Never put day-old chicks with laying hens.
The age difference is just too much. Instead, put the day-old chicks in a smaller space for a month or two to grow a little bit. The smaller space doesn’t need to be lavish since it’s so temporary (but do make sure that it’s warm and dry, and that they have plenty of food and water and space to move around.) I’ve used rabbit cages, sectioned off areas of the main coop, and makeshift cardboard boxes or storage bins.
The actual age that you decide to put the young chicks in with the grownup hens depends on a few variables. If your hens have a lot of space to roam around, you can put the chicks out a little younger.
When you first combine the two age groups, do it about an hour before sunset.
That way, if it’s too soon and the grownup hens start picking on the little ones, they won’t really cause too much trouble because they’ll be going to the coop to go to sleep soon.
The key is to distract the grownup hens from the younger ones.
Put out lots of scratches, vegetable scraps from the garden, leftover kitchen scraps, whatever you have. You want to have the older birds so caught up in eating all this awesome stuff that they don’t notice that there are suddenly a bunch of little ones running around.
Remember, there is such a thing as too much scratch. It’s much better to give your hens lots and lots of fresh vegetables than to overdo it the scratch.
Pick a day that you’ll be at home and can hang out with your chickens.
Don’t just combine the two groups and assume it’s fine. There will be the occasional scuffle. An adult bird may peck a younger chick, and if it draws blood it can turn very dangerous for the younger bird.
If you catch it right as it’s happening, all you have to do is grab the younger bird and wipe off the blood, then the bird can go right back into the group. (I’m talking about a very small amount here, just a speck of blood.
If you’re around to pay attention to the birds, it shouldn’t progress any farther than this, but if it does and you have a bird that has a larger cut that is actively bleeding, you need to separate it from the other birds immediately.)
If the two age groups are not getting along and you’re having to break up more than one or two little scuffles, it means that they’re not ready to be combined yet.
It will probably take a couple of days for the whole flock to be completely comfortable together.
You’ll need to keep a closer eye on your chickens than usual and give them lots to do for these two days. This is the time to give them a fresh bale of straw to play with, and some heads of lettuce to tear apart.
The two age groups of chickens aren’t supposed to be eating the same food.
The calcium in the food for the laying hens isn’t good for the young chickens and you don’t want the older chickens eating medicated chick starter (we don’t use a medicated starter, but if you do, know that the medication can end up in the eggs if laying hens eat it). The best solution that we’ve found is to use a flock-raiser mix and also put out oyster shells for the hens that are laying.
How to Introduce New Chicks Into Your Flock: A Guide for Chicken Owners
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Keeping backyard chickens is a wonderful and rewarding experience. However, it does come with its own set of challenges. One of the most common difficulties is introducing new chicks into your flock. Bringing home new chickens involves a lot of different considerations, such as handling the stress that they’ll experience, monitoring their health and checking for signs of bullying or aggression in your existing flock. It can be a tricky process that requires you to be thoughtful and observant about how each individual reacts to the new members. Read on to learn more…
Decide on the Gender of Your New Chickens
The first thing you should do when deciding to add new chicks to your flock is decide on the gender. You don’t want to bring home both male and female chicks because they will breed and produce eggs that you probably don’t want. If you want to incubate and hatch your own eggs, then you’ll definitely want to get both, but for backyard flocks, you want to make sure the chicks are all the same sex. You can do this by looking at their ear tags. Males usually have a “P” (for pullet) or “HP” (for hatch pullet) on their ear tags, while females have an “F” (for fryer).
Make Sure the Chicks Are Healthy
Before bringing home your new chicks, make sure they are healthy and have been vaccinated properly against diseases like Marek’s disease. These viruses can be transferred to your chickens if you bring home chicks that haven’t been vaccinated. While vaccinated chicks are healthy, unvaccinated chicks can be extremely contagious and lethal to your flock if they are brought home. If you bring home chicks that appear healthy and have been vaccinated, then there’s a low chance that they will infect your flock. Make sure to keep the chicks in a separate area from your flock until they have been vaccinated and have had a chance to build up an immunity to the disease.
Monitor Your Flock for Signs of Stress or Aggression
It’s important to regularly observe your flock for signs of stress or aggression. This will help you identify potential problems and intervene before they escalate. One of the most common signs of stress in a flock is a reduced appetite and feed consumption. Another common sign is reduced production from your hens, or even laying eggs that are less nutritious or infertile. You can also watch for signs of aggression, such as increased pecking, increased fighting and reduced roosting space for the chicks. If you see some of these signs, it’s important to intervene before they worsen. Keep your chicks in a separate area from your flock until they have acclimated. This will help reduce their stress, and it will also give you a chance to monitor the interactions.
Find a Place for the Chicks to Roost and Sleep
Before bringing your chicks home, you’ll need to find a place for them to roost and sleep. Make sure to choose a location that’s out of the way, yet still accessible to you. Some people prefer to keep chicks in a separate coop, while others like to put them in an enclosed run. Either option can work, but make sure to give the chicks enough space to move around and access to feed and water. You may also want to consider a roosting bar for the chicks. These bars are usually made of wood, and they allow the chicks to climb up and rest above the ground where they are less likely to be pecked.
How to Handle Chicks That Are Being Bullied
If you see that some of your chicks are being bullied, it’s important to intervene. You can do this in a few different ways. First, you can try increasing the space available to the chicks by moving their coop or run to a larger area. Second, you can try separating the chicks that are being bullied to a separate coop or run. This will give the chicks more space, and it will also give the other chickens less access to them. Another thing you can do is use a spray bottle to squirt the chickens that are being aggressive. This will teach them that their behavior is unacceptable, and it will also help to break up fights in the coop.
Bottom line
Bringing new chicks home can be an exciting and rewarding experience. However, it also comes with a lot of different considerations, such as handling the stress that they’ll experience and monitoring your existing flock for signs of aggression. It’s important to be thoughtful and observant about how each individual reacts to the new members. Make sure to choose healthy chicks, monitor your flock for signs of stress or aggression, and find a place for the chicks to roost and sleep. You can also try using a spray bottle to squirt the chickens that are being aggressive if you see that some of your chicks are being bullied.
I have some pullets that are around 10 weeks old and some chicks that are around 5 weeks old is it all right to combine the two