Thoughts on this plan?

[crunchygranola]

Hey, guys. I currently have six chickens, and I was planning to cull five of them. I wanted to keep the one that was most like a pet to me, but add in other chickens for variety. I was thinking about raising baby chickens for six weeks until they’re old enough to go outside, and then cull the five originals and add in the new chickens. Would this be an OK transition for the chicken i’m keeping?

 

[lomine]

I would keep one other older hen to keep her company. It's likely the chicks will form their own little group and she'll be left out. Unless she is broody and raising them, she's not really going to bond with chicks. They may form a larger group later down the line, but they may also stay separate. It's hard to predict.

 

[aart]

Curious, why cull the other 5?
What is your goal in having chickens?

 

[crunchygranola]

Curious, why cull the other 5?
What is your goal in having chickens?

I adore my flock, but I’m only allowed to keep a certain number of chickens. I wanted to begin to add more variety in my egg production, but I decided that I will let the other five expire on their own time.

 

[crunchygranola]

I would keep one other older hen to keep her company. It's likely the chicks will form their own little group and she'll be left out. Unless she is broody and raising them, she's not really going to bond with chicks. They may form a larger group later down the line, but they may also stay separate. It's hard to predict.

Sounds good! I am currently deciding to keep the other five.

 

[Mrs. K]

You really don't have to do all or nothing. You could easily sell laying hens. Personally I vote for removing 1/3 of the flock, and adding 1/3 of the flock, and repeat that next year.

This keeps your flock young, it keeps the flock multi-generational.

Also - I put my chicks out with the others at 3-4 weeks, sooner is better than later when it come to chicks.

And you can cheat on your numbers when the chicks are little, but come the fall, then you HAVE to get down to the proper size.

Mrs K

 

[The Chicken life chose me]

Hey, guys. I currently have six chickens, and I was planning to cull five of them. I wanted to keep the one that was most like a pet to me, but add in other chickens for variety. I was thinking about raising baby chickens for six weeks until they’re old enough to go outside, and then cull the five originals and add in the new chickens. Would this be an OK transition for the chicken i’m keeping?

Please don’t cull them! They look up to you as their mother !

 

[Mrs. K]

Please don’t cull them! They look up to you as their mother !

Well, they really don't look to you as their mother. And there are lots of ways to cull birds. While processing one for food is one way, giving them away or selling them is another.

Most people have limited space, and eventually have to make decisions on whether to keep or let birds go for the health and happiness of the flock. Try not to make them feel guilty about very difficult chocies.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hey, guys. I currently have six chickens, and I was planning to cull five of them. I wanted to keep the one that was most like a pet to me, but add in other chickens for variety. I was thinking about raising baby chickens for six weeks until they’re old enough to go outside, and then cull the five originals and add in the new chickens. Would this be an OK transition for the chicken i’m keeping?

What does outside look like? How big (in feet or meters) is your coop? Your run? Photos showing the inside of your coop could be very helpful. A photo showing the run might be helpful.

When I integrate the chicks form a sub-flock. If they go near the adults they will likely get pecked. It doesn't take them long to learn to stay well away from the adults. During the day they keep a distance. At night they do not sleep on the roost with the adults but find a safe place to sleep. About the time the pullets start to lay they are allowed into the main flock.

All of this takes room, but many of us don't have a lot of room to spare. If we know what your space looks like we may be able to come up with tricks to make this easier.

Integrating a single chicken can be hard. Chickens are flock animals and want to be with other chickens. A single hen may want to be with the chicks because she is a flock animal but if she gets close she may peck them. If the young one being integrated were the single, they want to be with the others but are in danger of being pecked or worse if they get close. If you can, when you integrated it is best to have at least two. I prefer a minimum of three in case something happens to one of them.

I don't have individual chickens. I have a flock where the individual members change as necessary to keep the flock happy, healthy, and productive. I understand some people see each individual as a pet and feel very differently than I feel. We all have different attitudes, experiences, and opinions.

 

[crunchygranola]

You really don't have to do all or nothing. You could easily sell laying hens. Personally I vote for removing 1/3 of the flock, and adding 1/3 of the flock, and repeat that next year.

This keeps your flock young, it keeps the flock multi-generational.

Also - I put my chicks out with the others at 3-4 weeks, sooner is better than later when it come to chicks.

And you can cheat on your numbers when the chicks are little, but come the fall, then you HAVE to get down to the proper size.

Mrs K

Thank you so much— I really didn’t want to cull them. I’m so glad there’s another solution… I’m really new to this chicken thing so I’m so glad I have a community to help!