What Age to Introduce Baby Chicks to Flock
Introducing New Chickens To Your Flock
Keeping chickens tin can quickly go a very addictive hobby, and while you lot swore you were only going to take iv feathered friends, often you start thinking virtually all the new breeds you would like to add to your flock one mean solar day.
Unfortunately, adding new chickens into your already existing backyard flock is non always as uncomplicated as putting them into the coop and letting them live happily ever subsequently- problems are bound to occur.
Information technology's the nature of chickens to develop a 'pecking order', which is an established fauna hierarchy inside the flock. Every hen knows her place in the pecking gild, then when new chickens are introduced, problems are likely to arise until the pecking guild is re-established again. Read hither for more on the chicken pecking lodge.
While some chickens volition be tolerant of the newcomer, leaving her to be, others will give them not so warm a welcome- pecking and bullying them so they empathize that their place is at the lesser of the pecking gild. This can be very stressful for new chickens, peculiarly those that are young.
If you're wanting to add some exciting new breeds to your brood, without upsetting the pecking order, there are a few things to conduct in mind to accept a more harmonious welcome.
Work in Pairs or More
Being introduced into an already established flock tin can be very daunting for a solo chicky. And then it is best to always endeavor and introduce two or more chickens together at a fourth dimension- even better if they are already well acquainted! This will go along the new chicken from being completely isolated by the rest of the flock, and if bullying is to occur, it won't just fall on merely one poor chicken.
Only Introduce Birds of a Like Size and Age
Chickens tin be existent bullies, especially when they have smaller, weaker birds to pick on. So if you're planning on adding new birds into your flock, try to get them similar in size and age, to aid minimise bullying and fighting.
On the other manus, adding a large number of fit, young birds, tin crusade stress to a smaller number of more mature chickens.
If you lot take an existing flock but are as well wanting to raise infant chickens, they should be kept in a carve up coop or enclosure until they are old enough and strong enough to stand a fighting adventure against the higher ranked chickens of the pecking society.
Add together New Birds at Nighttime
Your chickens should be settled and quietly roosting when the sun goes down, so this is the best fourth dimension to innovate new flock members, giving them a piffling time to familiarise themselves with their new living arrangements before the anarchy of the day begins. Just be sure be there at daybreak to attend to an chicken drama that may unfold!
Start out Slowly- Ease Them In
We take constitute that when adding to your flock, the best success comes from putting newcomers most your existing chickens, not actually with them. Do this by placing them in small fenced off expanse in the run if possible- this will permit the chickens to encounter some other and get used to each others presence, but volition keep them from being aggressive towards ane another. This should feign the craven'due south marvel, but non let them experience that their habitation is being invaded or their is a pending threat. Attempt and keep this organisation for a week for the all-time run a risk at success.
Provide Distractions
By adding things such as bales of hay, or hanging a lettuce in the run, it will provide as a dandy distraction when introducing new flock members. Their attending will exist more focused on scratching and pecking at the hay, rather than at the new daughter on the block. This article has some great and super unproblematic ideas for ample distractions.
Introduce in a New Location
If possible, place both your old and new hens in an entirely new and different location- be it a makeshift coop or fenced off area. This throws your older girls off remainder, equally it is not their dwelling house, and so they are more than probable to be less defensive, and harsh towards the newcomers.
As difficult as it is to witness, you accept to expect a certain corporeality of bullying- even in the best handled situations. New chickens means a new pecking society is to exist established and and then to go on their spot, fighting will unfortunately exist involved.
Be certain to keep an eye on your new members, making sure that they aren't being injure too badly or are looking also stressed- if you lot are particularly worried most their wellbeing, remove them from the flock immediately.
After a week or and then, things will start to sort themselves out, your chickens will take the new additions, and peace will exist restored within your flock once again.
If y'all're interested to learn more about how to keep happy and healthy chickens, our friends at Chickenpedia accept some of the best online craven keeping courses and then I encourage all my readers to check it out.
Sources and further reading
Related Articles
Essential Tools for Keeping Chickens
Keeping chickens is a flap-happy experience. Why? Well, thankfully, chickens need little care and maintenance. So, y'all take a LOT of free happy-go-clucky time to...
View full article →
The Ultimate Guide to Keeping Happy and Good for you Backyard Chickens
Chickens are one of the well-nigh rewarding and fun pets y'all tin can go on in your backyard. Not only do chickens provide poly peptide rich, nutrition packed...
View full article →
The Ultimate List of Backyard Chicken Breeds
Whether you are a beginner chicken keeper or looking to add a new chicken breed to your lawn flock of chooks, there are and so many...
View total article →
Everything Y'all Demand To Know About Fertile Eggs
What are they? Technically speaking, fertile eggs are where the 'blastodisc' turns into a 'blastoderm' - the showtime phase of a developing embryo. In layman'south...
View full article →
Unlike Coloured Eggs and the Breeds That Lay Them
Information technology'due south a very mutual practise among backyard chicken keepers to go along LOTS of egg-exquisitely dissimilar breeds! Why? Chicken keeping is quite addictive and once bitten...
View full article →
The 4 Essential Tips for Keeping a Rooster in your Urban Backyard
Roosters are a contentious outcome among lawn chicken keepers. On the one mitt, these charming chaps can be a huge do good in keeping your flock...
View full article →
Top 5 Treats for Chickens
To keep chickens happy, salubrious and laying bounties of succulent eggs, they need to be fed a varied diet rich in protein and calcium- nearly...
View total article →
Poultry Nesting Boxes - The Facts
Information technology's morning time! Time to peek inside those poultry nesting boxes and gather all the egg-ceptionally fresh eggs! This is truly the near egg-citing function of...
View full commodity →
Exercise I Need a Rooster in My Backyard Flock?
Plainly and simple, the answer is no! Hens are one of the most captivating creatures on the face up of the earth. They are cute, intelligent,...
View total commodity →
Incubation: How To Tell If An Egg Is Fertile Or Infertile
Not certain whether your eggs are fertile? There are a couple of unlike methods you lot tin can apply to run into if in that location's potential life inside an...
View full article →
Wyandottes: A Comprehensive Guide
Wyandottes are splendid birds that come in an endless diverseness of colours. This American bred bird is incredibly pop all over the globe - non...
View full article →
Gender Bender: When Your Hen Thinks She's A He!
You accept yourself a lovely flock of girls- they get forth harmoniously, you collect their delicious fresh produce each and every morning time- everything is going...
View total article →
Source: https://www.backyardchickencoops.com.au/blogs/learning-centre/introducing-new-chickens-to-your-flock
0 Response to "What Age to Introduce Baby Chicks to Flock"
Post a Comment