is it safe to put week old chicks in with my 2 year old hens

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chech221

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ive got 4 days to go before my eggs are due to hatch,il be keeping them in the house for the first week is it safe to put the chicks in with my hens or should i keep them seperate? my first time for icubating eggs too only kept chickens since last december and doing very well keeping them happy as ive been told by other people who have chickens on the allotment site where i keep them.

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Vember

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I don't put mine together until they are more or less the same size, the hens could pick on them  :ohmy: :(
The chicks will need heat for longer than a week and will need protecting form the elements until they are feathered up :)


Sarah :D

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Roughlee Handled

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NO

I keep mine inside in the brooder which is kept at 37.5 c for the first week and reduced in temp by 5c each week. On the forth week they go out side in a covered pen for a further two weeks (covered as a crow will take them).  Then and if they are fully feathered they get introduced to the others.
Stuart


Dont worry I am just paranoid duckie.

If I get the wrong end of the stick its because I have speed read. Honest.

Blar blar blar blar snorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre.

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joyfull

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My little babies are outside in a cage with their surrogate mum. The other hens keep having a look but they won't be allowed to mix together until the babies are 6 weeks old. At least doing it this way they will all get used to each other and hopefully any bullying will be kept to a minimum.
Staffies are softer than you think.

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darcyhen

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My little babies are outside in a cage with their surrogate mum. The other hens keep having a look but they won't be allowed to mix together until the babies are 6 weeks old. At least doing it this way they will all get used to each other and hopefully any bullying will be kept to a minimum.
Have they been with the surrogate mum since hatching? I've got chicks due in 2 weeks and have not prepared yet for chicks as assuming the worst. But was hoping if there were chicks they could stay with mum, who is seperated from the other two chickens.

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joyfull

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Yes, Brenda Lee (cuckoo maran) went broody so I popped some bantum eggs under her, 6 hatched. Brenda is proving a brilliant mum. For the first week after hatching they were in the shed with 3 other hens but kept inside a big cage, and then moved into a converted dog kennel (bone embelishment removed as I didn't want them to get confused  :) ) and a large dog cage attached out side. The other hens keep looking at them and now the little ones keep trying to fly to get to them. I didn't think at 1 and 1/2 weeks they would be able to fly but they have now got proper wing feathers and are getting tail feathers as well. I have noticed that a couple of the older ones (by one day) are now getting their feathered legs as well. Hopefully at 6 weeks they can mix properly, I will just have to keep an eye on their feed as they will be on growers whilst the adults are on layers. I have another brood due to hatch in 9 days time and all being well will follow the same routine with them.



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