Someone wants to give Billy 4 hens and 1 rooster. They are about 2 months old. Here is the problem.
I only have 2 chicken coops covered completely. In one there is RR (Rescue Rooster) with his two hens Miss C and Miss Z, about 10 months old.
The other coop has his Rooster Spiderman, and his 4 hens..Pickle, Speed, and the two others who's names are always changing..They are 8 months old.
Anyhoo I want to get these new chickens but I remember when I tried to put younger ones in with the older ones before, one got killed. I have no other coop that will do for the new ones... I still have the small (Really Small Coop in the front yard that I put his chickens when I moved them from the house, but thats about the only other place to put them..
Chicken Fairy, Please Give me some advise
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Need the chicken fairy to come talk to me
What does Bill say? six weeks in the small coop then integrate them, I think that would work, and may all your wishes come true because of your kind heart, Miss Jester.
My new visitor friend
Cool Haystak.. NIce Visiter..
Billy would take every creature under the sun, including the beetles if I would let him.. I worry about integrating them and having 2 roos in the same pen. Spiderman is so gentle and beautiful, lets billy feed him out of the bucket all while billy is petting him. Its cool.. I would not want anything to happen to him..
Haystack, does your little visitor have a mother?
MissJestr: I can understand your concern...I do think keeping them separate in the small coop and slowly integrating them might work...but I would be a little concerned about spoiling the sweet temperament of Spiderman by making him feel threatened.
I have to admit that I am not speaking from experience with chickens...but it sometimes works that way with dogs and even cats....Roosters can be great together if one accepts being subordinate, but a sweet-natured, gentle roo that a child can handle is a real treasure.
MsJestr can you let them all out together during the day to see how it goes for a few days? I've done that and they all do very well.. then they go to bed in their respective coops.. in time, they find a place to sleep together..
Mind you, I only have bantam roos so far.. (the others are still boys)
Anyway.. it's a suggestion that has worked for me..
Good luck!!
PS... I know.. Build a couple of BIG new coops and I can even send you MORE to worry about! LOL
MissJ - I do what ZZ does - let them all integrate together. The only thing is there can be a danger of them bringing disease into your flock if you do not quarantine them first. I usually quarantine for a couple of weeks to watch for mites, odd behaviors etc.
Miss Jester: If you look at what Catscan, ZZ's and Claire said I think they hit the nail one the head, That was why I suggested putting the new ones in the small coop for six weeks that way you can observe them and also give them a little growth time. Then if the do well Integrete them during the day with the others when you are home like on weekend I don't see much problem unless the are crowded together. Even humans don't do well then. LOL Haystack
Yes Porkpal our little visitor does have a mother and sometime they show up together, it is so fun to watch them, every now and then we will have five or six together with a big buck following. They are always safe here and I put out two salt licks for them. I love animals of all kinds as long as they don't go after my girls. We also have a little skunk that visits, but never seems to bother the girls, maybe it's to small. Not sure but when I see the little skunk I generally put out a little food, away from the girls. So far so good. Haystack
THat would be a good idea on the weekends...I might try that. Otherwise maybe I can move the small coop down to where they are, but I would not be able to keep my eye on them at night... Humm have to give that some thought..
ZZ...Girl, It already takes me an hour in the am and a hour in the pm to do chores, not sure if I want to build More Coops....that would force me to fill them up.. LOLOL
I have several small coops. The girls are segregated by age. During the day they free range, at night they all go back to their own coops. When I want to combine age groups (when they are old enough to be about the same size) I merely close up one coop and let them decide how they want to cohabit. So far it has worked well - but I have no roosters.
I am not here in the daytime, but my chickens are in coops that are huge so technically they free range. I would say they are covered cow pens with little barns for shelter.. LOL.. They have plenty of bugs and weeds to munch on. I could let them mingle on the weekends, but Billy and I would have to hang around the chicken garden just in case...
Yep its a garden, with trees, my mulch pile for next years garden, Fancy the Mini horse and Humps the Mini Donkey.. Both were inherited with the place... Some apricot trees, some desert willow and TONS of wild Rosemary.. LOL I pick some when I need to cook with it.. it is yummy. Oh and Billys first garden in an old horse tub, he grew sunflowers and squash and Basil
Apricot trees and wild rosemary!!!! Now I'm jealous of you too!!
I love the rosemary, but am not liking the bees too well... LOL Claire, I would gladly trade with you in a heartbeat...
Bees are becoming a rarity; avoid and enjoy. Perhaps you can bribe them with flan.