Hello,
This is my second round with baby chicks and so three years new in raising and caring for a flock.
First, we started with a spring brood in spring 2022. They have all been great until summer 2024 when we had some coccidiosis take two of them when it was NC hot and humid this summer. We were able to save one but two were just weaker, in general. Then, lost one in the fall to a hawk. So, the three remaining are going strong but only one is laying as they have been on winter break.
We decided to brave a fall brood so we could get eggs in spring since our supply has been so low. (Still learning the rotation process!). We didn't want to wait a full year to ramp up our egg supply. So, the way it happened was that our local hatchery had a few chicks and so we picked up four there (1-black australorp, 1-speckled sussex, 2-EE's). Hatched on 10/30. Wanting more breeds, we decided to order 5 mail order chicks (2-lavender orps/2 chocolate orps/1 splash Maran) because we really like orpington and our local hatchery did not have any. So, they were a 11/12 hatch and arrived to us 11/14. They are 2 weeks younger than our first brood.
I naively thought the littles would catch up to the older chicks early on, but it did not happen and there was never a time I felt I could integrate them young. I have one in the older brood that has had 'roo-ish' behaviors since arrival and not sure it would work out safely. So, I did some reading and most people seem to suggest to integrate them when they all arrive to about the same size. So, we have kept them growing in two separate brooders! Now, the older ones are 12 1/2 weeks and the 'littles' are 10 1/2 weeks. The littles are catching up but not quite there yet.
My questions:
In dealing now with three separated flocks, which do I integrate first? The older hens (3) to the older chicks, then when the 'littles' catch up in size, integrate them to that flock? Currently, the older chicks are almost the size of the older hens.
OR, integrate the two younger flocks with each other between 14-16 weeks (anticipated to be closer in size as the older slow their size growth and the littles accelerate)?
Recently, we built a temporary 'brood' location where they can be next to each other, only divided by mesh, to help them 'get acquainted'.
They are really quite uninterested in each other. Each day, I dribble some food on both sides of the divider so they are eating close to each other at the same time. But, that is the closest they get. And, interestingly, they all roost on the same side of the roosting bar that is closest to each other. So, good sign?
I will come back and post some more about the final coop, the older hens and our outdoor 'field trip' location where we let the older ones outside for a few hours to 'free range' with the others in a confined gate.
This is my second round with baby chicks and so three years new in raising and caring for a flock.
First, we started with a spring brood in spring 2022. They have all been great until summer 2024 when we had some coccidiosis take two of them when it was NC hot and humid this summer. We were able to save one but two were just weaker, in general. Then, lost one in the fall to a hawk. So, the three remaining are going strong but only one is laying as they have been on winter break.
We decided to brave a fall brood so we could get eggs in spring since our supply has been so low. (Still learning the rotation process!). We didn't want to wait a full year to ramp up our egg supply. So, the way it happened was that our local hatchery had a few chicks and so we picked up four there (1-black australorp, 1-speckled sussex, 2-EE's). Hatched on 10/30. Wanting more breeds, we decided to order 5 mail order chicks (2-lavender orps/2 chocolate orps/1 splash Maran) because we really like orpington and our local hatchery did not have any. So, they were a 11/12 hatch and arrived to us 11/14. They are 2 weeks younger than our first brood.
I naively thought the littles would catch up to the older chicks early on, but it did not happen and there was never a time I felt I could integrate them young. I have one in the older brood that has had 'roo-ish' behaviors since arrival and not sure it would work out safely. So, I did some reading and most people seem to suggest to integrate them when they all arrive to about the same size. So, we have kept them growing in two separate brooders! Now, the older ones are 12 1/2 weeks and the 'littles' are 10 1/2 weeks. The littles are catching up but not quite there yet.
My questions:
In dealing now with three separated flocks, which do I integrate first? The older hens (3) to the older chicks, then when the 'littles' catch up in size, integrate them to that flock? Currently, the older chicks are almost the size of the older hens.
OR, integrate the two younger flocks with each other between 14-16 weeks (anticipated to be closer in size as the older slow their size growth and the littles accelerate)?
Recently, we built a temporary 'brood' location where they can be next to each other, only divided by mesh, to help them 'get acquainted'.
They are really quite uninterested in each other. Each day, I dribble some food on both sides of the divider so they are eating close to each other at the same time. But, that is the closest they get. And, interestingly, they all roost on the same side of the roosting bar that is closest to each other. So, good sign?
I will come back and post some more about the final coop, the older hens and our outdoor 'field trip' location where we let the older ones outside for a few hours to 'free range' with the others in a confined gate.
