{Black Fatty, Squireely, Martha, Sqeekers, Jersey}
Well, I finally did it. On Monday afternoon I set up a little fenced area within the chicken run and let our baby chicks outside for about 4 hours. On Tuesday I had them outside for 6 hours, and on Wednesday evening, I snuck the baby chicks into the chicken coop at dusk while the other chickens were settling down for the night.
And you know what? It worked.
On Thursday morning I opened the coop. And as all the older hens came flying out for breakfast, I resisted the temptation to open the egg hatch and take the baby chicks out. I made them find their way out of the coop all on their own.
After about 30 minutes or so, they had all figured it out.
Tough love, that’s what I’m talking about.
Last night was the baby chicks second night in the coop. Since they are still too small to hop up the ladder and get inside themselves, we’ve been gathering them up and placing them in the nesting box each night with Black Fatty and Piggy so they stay nice and warm. So far, so good.
{Martha showing Picasso who’s boss}
Besides the occasional nip from one of the older chickens, everything seems to be working out fine. But there is one thing I have to remember. Always feed the older chickens first. Otherwise, they freak out and scare the babies off and steal their food.
Raising backyard chickens is fun, there is certainly a learning curve to it, but once you get to know your birds, and what they’ll tolerate, you’ll be fine.
Have you ever had to introduce new chickens to older ones? How did it go? Did you have any problems? Do YOU have any tips for the newbies out there?
~Mavis
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Lena says
We have added chickens and ducks along the way… and it always works out fine. Started with 4, added 1, then 3 more, then 2 ducklings, and now 3 Serama’s. (I would keep going, but I have been over ruled.) There is always a bit of pecking and chest bumping and then things settle down and they all get along. The key is to have plenty of space for everyone… They have the majority of the back yard and a 100sq ft coop.
Margaret says
Mavis!
You can’t store it for use over the winter, but you can use that immature butternut squash for people food. They are perfectly edible at any stage of development. I often use very young ones as I would zucchini. When larger they require peeling and aren’t the deep orange color we are used to, but they are great in a soup, stew or casserole, sliced, diced, or even mashed. Forget feeding it to the chickens, unless you just really love your chickens.
Love your blog.
Mavis says
Thanks Margaret, I didn’t know that!
Ivy Lane says
Love your blog! Your chickens are so sweet! I’ll bet fresh eggs are a treat!
alliegator says
My most successful chick/hen integration has been when we had two hens left, and 8 chicks. I think being outnumbered made the older hens less aggressive to the newbies.