I have five 4-month old Buff Orpingtons (had two roosters but one bit the dust), and 3 supposed 2-month old Easter Eggers (had 4 + an olive egger, lost olive egger and one Easter egger). I think one of the remaining Easter Eggers is a rooster, his comb is more red and he's larger than the 2 known hens. The two different kinds of birds are in the same living space and I let them out to forage. The two different breeds stay away from each other. Will they ever become one flock? If I have two roosters, will they be okay together since they each have their own hens? As for the losses, it could be that our weather is very hot here. It's been over 90 for weeks now, even reaching 100 one day. I have them in a large screen room with the ceiling fan going and an additional fan. But it's still hot. I imagine the loss of the Buff Orpinton rooster was because I had 2 rooster and 4 hens. The 2 EE hens, maybe just too hot? Is it too late to add a couple of more chicks to make up for the losses? (Chicks to be kept separate until they are a couple of months old.)
Not integrating
- Thread starter whispurr
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Yes, once they are all laying they will be more willing to associate with each other.
That's a definite maybe.
*Sometimes* roosters will get along -- I have a senior and a junior right now who are getting on well. But there are no guarantees and it could change in an instant.
It's less likely for you because you've got a fairly high male to female ratio. The 1-10(ish) recommendation is definitely not carved in stone and some people manage to keep pairs and trios successfully, but it does change the odds.
If this is your first flock it's often recommended to have no males at all -- especially if you have young children who will be in contact with your flock -- and, if you want males later to add them to a flock that already has mature hens.
But no guarantees.
@Mrs. K and @Ridgerunner have posted a lot of advice that I credit for my successful cockerel experiences (successful so far -- no guarantees).
Here is my article on hot climate chicken keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/
No, it's not.
And you don't have to wait months for them to be integrated. Here are some useful articles:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-“see-but-don’t-touch”-method.67839/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/adding-to-your-flock.47756/
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Ok, I've read all of those pages. I'm in NC too. They are now in a screen room, I'd say maybe 12x12 until we get their coop built (that's been a comedy of errors...) They should be out into their new coop in a few weeks. I'm having part of the coop sectioned off for chicks. I'm down to 5 chickens so I need to get more! Right now I have 1 Buff Orpington rooster, 3 BO hens, and one Easter egger rooster. I need to make some changes or cull a rooster.
For cooling, they are obviously as ventilated as they can be in a screen room! I also have the ceiling fan going and a tower fan.
Other than having lost five hens (human error, lesson learned.) I think should I wait for my coop to be ready before I get more chicks.
As for the new chicks, all that's available near me right now are eggs for incubating. Another thing I haven't tried. If I get some of those eggs, how long will it take from incubator to chicks? Is incubating them hard?
For cooling, they are obviously as ventilated as they can be in a screen room! I also have the ceiling fan going and a tower fan.
Other than having lost five hens (human error, lesson learned.) I think should I wait for my coop to be ready before I get more chicks.
As for the new chicks, all that's available near me right now are eggs for incubating. Another thing I haven't tried. If I get some of those eggs, how long will it take from incubator to chicks? Is incubating them hard?
It takes 21 days in the incubator.
How hard it is depends on how good the incubator is and how lucky you are.
What part of NC?
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Knightdale. East of Raleigh.
It has been blistering hot here for sure.
I'd suggest not adding until you get your coop fully in operation, but late summer/early fall isn't a bad time to be adding chicks in our climate. From late June to early September is not a really good time because of the heat.
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- #8
Chicks may not be available in the stores, but they should still be available from Craigslist and from the hatcheries.
I like Ideal Poultry, which has a dollar-amount minimum rather than a number of chicks minimum, reasonable small-order fees, and which is in Texas so their breeding flocks are automatically selected for heat-tolerance.
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