How long does it take chicks to feather out and other questions

[lori925]

Hello - we are still new to having chickens. We currently have 3 hens that we got last summer when they were about 10 weeks old. In a few weeks we will be getting our first chicks. We have ordered 6 1 or 2 day olds and I have a few questions:
1. How long does it take for them to "feather out"?
2. I heard that chicks fly better than hens - is this true? If so, how high?
3. Do chicks need a roosting pole in the box they will be starting out in? If not, at what age should we introduce them to the roosting pole?
4. We plan on keeping them in the house to start with as we live in Maine and it is still getting cold at night. Once they get their feathers and it is warm enough to put them in the barn, they will have their own little coop in a stall and then we'll let them out into a fenced corral during the day - the coral has chicken wire on the fencing up to about 3 feet - is this high enough?
5. The other girls will be free-ranging but will be able to see the newbies in the corral. We've heard this is a good way to introduce them to each other. How long should we keep the new girls separated before introducing the into the "communal" coop with the other girls?
Thanks in advance - I look forward to hearing back soon!
Lori

 

[Y N dottes]

Hello - we are still new to having chickens. We currently have 3 hens that we got last summer when they were about 10 weeks old. In a few weeks we will be getting our first chicks. We have ordered 6 1 or 2 day olds and I have a few questions:
1. How long does it take for them to "feather out"?
2. I heard that chicks fly better than hens - is this true? If so, how high?
3. Do chicks need a roosting pole in the box they will be starting out in? If not, at what age should we introduce them to the roosting pole?
4. We plan on keeping them in the house to start with as we live in Maine and it is still getting cold at night. Once they get their feathers and it is warm enough to put them in the barn, they will have their own little coop in a stall and then we'll let them out into a fenced corral during the day - the coral has chicken wire on the fencing up to about 3 feet - is this high enough?
5. The other girls will be free-ranging but will be able to see the newbies in the corral. We've heard this is a good way to introduce them to each other. How long should we keep the new girls separated before introducing the into the "communal" coop with the other girls?
Thanks in advance - I look forward to hearing back soon!
Lori

here are some answers;

1. chicks feather out by the time they reach 4 weeks. I have two 4 week old chicks that are almost completely feathered out now. my other sixteen 3 week olds are almost there, but still have to get feathers around their heads and belly. they grow a lot in a week in the early stages
2. yes, chicks fly better than hens comparatively to their size, but because they are so small they really don't get up very high
3. I didn't give my 18 chicks roosts till about 2 weeks, and even so, most choose not to use it. But I would give them the option to roost within the first few weeks
4. I think 3 feet will probably be high enough to keep them in.
5. yes, definitely good to let them all get used to each other before they are let loose together. I am not sure of the exact age they can be directly introduced, but just make sure the new ones are not significantly smaller than the older ones.

 

[lori925]

Thank you so much!
Lori