Colorado

[Pozees]

Hi all. I don't post often I have a small backyard flock of 6 girls about a year old but i read it everday. We just bought a small ranch 18 acres and I can't wait to move and get a few more girls. Probably won't move until April. So excited! Unfortunately my husband couldn't wait and brought home 3 new girls -12 weeks old. I can keep them apart in the pen and when out free ranging the backyard but I only have one smaller coop. Should I just bring them in the house at night? How long does it take to integrate new girls? Thanks and I LOVE all the baby chicks! Thanks Tracie

Hi Tracie, congrats on the new place! Will you still be near Colorado Springs? Very exciting!

If the new girls are 12 weeks old, you can try putting them on the roost in the coop with your other girls at night, if they aren't already trying to go in on their own. Wait until the older girls have gone to roost and it's pretty dark, then open the human access door and set them on the roost or in a corner so they can snuggle together; keep an eye on them as they exit in the morning to make sure they aren't being picked on - there will be some pecking order established but since there are 3 of them I think they will be okay.

I would let them free range together first, give them a treat or something as they come together, where they have room to run.

All that said, if there is the slightest doubt in your mind about the health of the new girls, they should be kept separated from your existing flock for at least 2 weeks, possibly longer if they show any sign of illness. Often, this is the safest route to follow regardless, since some illnesses do not manifest immediately but take a few days to become apparent. Their health status can appear fine at first, but the stress of being moved to a new home can weaken their immune systems. To ward off this possibility, it helps to add poultry nutri-drench or other vitamin/electrolyte supplement to their drinking water for the first few to several days, or lacking that, some molasses or apple cider vinegar. Garlic is an immune system booster as well, and can be added to their food.

 

[Mtn Margie]

Hi all. I don't post often I have a small backyard flock of 6 girls about a year old but i read it everday. We just bought a small ranch 18 acres and I can't wait to move and get a few more girls. Probably won't move until April. So excited! Unfortunately my husband couldn't wait and brought home 3 new girls -12 weeks old. I can keep them apart in the pen and when out free ranging the backyard but I only have one smaller coop. Should I just bring them in the house at night? How long does it take to integrate new girls? Thanks and I LOVE all the baby chicks! Thanks Tracie

Adding to what Pozees said.... free ranging together is how I usually go about getting the flock integrated. If you have more dominate breeds as your older ones - like RIR, it can take longer for them to accept the newcomers and they can be more aggressive as well. You are just going to have to see what your flock dynamics are. If you have problems, isolating the more aggressive birds away from the flock and letting the newbies get to know everyone else and then adding the meanies back one by one, generally works. Congrats on the new place!

 

[Powers Poultry]

Hi, I live in Denver Colorado and I was hoping if anyone knew someone or is selling a bantam cochin. I already have a two standard cochins but I need a bantam cochin for showing purposes.

Thankyou

 

[Pozees]

Hi, I live in Denver Colorado and I was hoping if anyone knew someone or is selling a bantam cochin. I already have a two standard cochins but I need a bantam cochin for showing purposes.

Thankyou

shyscreations and suncatcher both have bantam Cochins, probably others as well, those are the two that popped into my head right off the bat.

 

[McKluckeroo]

Are you looking for a particular color?  I have some 6 week olds I'm keeping to grow out for a while, came from a Lavender over Black pen, hatched here, bought the eggs from Hardin Poultry.  I feel fairly sure some will be boys, I have not taken a close look at them because I just wanted to let them do some growing - and they have! 

I'll be out replacing elastic leg bands again this weekend, or at least that's the plan, I've come down with a chest cold and that in combination with the weather has me feeling like not doing much, but that at least has to get done, so I'll try to note number of males and females.

I want to move that whole group to a grow-out pen and clear the house brooder which has a baker's dozen chicks that just hatched between Tuesday and yesterday.  Tuesday was the Welsummers, looks like I have 2 boys and 2 girls, then Thursday and Friday I hatched some eggs from a woman in NY who has a rather eclectic mix (BCM, SFH, Brabanters among them), a couple from Papa Brooder's Silkie/Sizzle/Frizzle Bantam Surprise pen, one of which is a lovely fluffy Paint, and my first two home bred RIR.  The RIR will be staying, the mixes will be sold, and I am on the fence about whether to keep the Welsummers and grow them out.  I love the breed, but not sure it makes sense to keep them.  I have more Wellie eggs from the same breeder in the incubator now, headed for the hatcher with Wendell's eggs on Wednesday.

the color I'm looking for is beautiful. I'm in no hurry so whenever.

 

[Pozees]

Quote:
LOL understand I changed the bands yesterday and moved them to the growout pen, but left a heat plate with them and glad I did, current temp here is 5 and the coop is not insulated. They all have plenty of feathers, but last night would have been their first night with no heat source, and I figure, why push it when I have future hopes for all in this group? There are 8 Silkies, 5 Cream Legbars, 2 Mayahns, and 4 Ameraucanas - one of the Black Ameraucanas appears to be a male. First time raising this breed from a breeder, so I'll let them keep growing for a while longer and see how they look.

 

[TracieJS]

Thank you Pozees and Mtn Margie! We are moving out to Peyton (so excited). I was hoping to free range them together today with a wire fence in between them but we got snow and the older girls are content to stay in their pen. We moved the new girls into a baby pool w a couple of inches of hay in the bottom to the basement so they have room to move around. I think I will take your advice and keep them separate until I am sure they are healthy. They look good except for some baby feathers still poking out. Good thing I love my husband because we weren't ready for these girls and had agreed no new animals until we moved. Sigh! At 12 weeks I believe they are good to eat regular layer feed correct?

 

[Camp Leader]

Craigslist in Colorado Springs has some Am roos. Of course I can't verify the lineage, but I've been seeing them for a few days now.

 

[trochefarm]

I must be strong, I must be really really strong. I was as Murdochs' and they have baby chicks....I must be strong.

Also I heard about Aurora, congratulations everyone out there!

I'm right there with you! I'm in there every other day to see what chicks they have. I already have more than I should, so I'm resisting the urge. All this talk of hatching chicks isn't helping. lol. Good thing my husband tore our brooder apart to use the wood for something else!

On another note, I might be interested in raising meat rabbits. Murdoch's had rabbits last year, but they don't think they'll have them this year. Anyone know anyone with rabbits?

 

[Mtn Margie]

Thank you Pozees and Mtn Margie! We are moving out to Peyton (so excited). I was hoping to free range them together today with a wire fence in between them but we got snow and the older girls are content to stay in their pen. We moved the new girls into a baby pool w a couple of inches of hay in the bottom to the basement so they have room to move around. I think I will take your advice and keep them separate until I am sure they are healthy. They look good except for some baby feathers still poking out. Good thing I love my husband because we weren't ready for these girls and had agreed no new animals until we moved. Sigh! At 12 weeks I believe they are good to eat regular layer feed correct?

Not just yet. Wait until they start laying to switch to layer. If you are over the 2 bag system, you can feed everyone something like All Flock /Flock Raiser and make double sure that the oyster shell dish is available at all times. The babies won't eat the oyster shell.