hi all i have plenty of room in my pen and would like some more chickens i have a hut that will hold easy 8 hens but only just put in 2 vorwerk hens at 7 week old at min can i add some bantam if i rear them or will they fight to death if i can whats the best way of doing this , at the moment ive fenced these two off from rest of hens but they can see through mesh
introducing chickings
- Thread starter dye29
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valeriebutterley
New member
I have had bantams and large fowl together many times over the years with no problems, they all seem to get on, my large fowl are large but gentle. Nothing much disturbs them.
I know not everybody agrees with me, but I do not know anyone else who keeps Croad Langshans, just the breeder I get my eggs from.
I know not everybody agrees with me, but I do not know anyone else who keeps Croad Langshans, just the breeder I get my eggs from.
Hen-Gen
Well-known member
No, dye29. They will kill them. You have to keep them separate until they are at least 17 weeks before you mix them. They should be readily accepted by then because chickens are relaxed about such things when the days are short.
Another reason for keeping them apart until at least 17 weeks is that they should be fed on growers pellets at that stage, not layers pellets. Growers pellets are specially made to provide the right sort of balance of vitamins and minerals, protein and carbohydrates, to give steady nourishment that they need to develop strong bones and muscles and good plumage as they grow. Layers pellets contain lots more calcium than growers, because hens who are laying eggs need it to produce strong shells day after day. But too much calcium for younger birds who are not yet ready to lay can affect their kidneys and do other things to prevent them growing properly. So it's best to keep them apart from the older birds until they are at point of lay and nearly full grown, at 17+ weeks.
Move chicks on from chick crumb to growers pellets gradually at about 8-10 weeks old.
Move chicks on from chick crumb to growers pellets gradually at about 8-10 weeks old.
valeriebutterley
New member
I think the previous posts said it all. I have hatched and raised bantams and large fowl together, no problems at all, all bessies. I have also introduced bantams in to my large girls when they are young but grown, no problem taking care of themselves at all!
I have just one lone pekin chick who is now 14 weeks old. I have 2 potential chicken families for her - one with a cockerel and 2 hens, the other with a cockerel and one hen. She already free ranges with the former group and sits outside their coop when they are shut in, but is quite scared of going in overnight with them, understandably really as the hens peck her! I would much prefer her to go with the latter as I am trying to rehome them and a trio would make it slightly easier, but she won't go with them as they both chase her away. I know she should be a bit older before going on to layers pellets but I feel she must be lonely sleeping in her broody coop by herself and she also seems keen to roost up higher. Should I keep her separate for a bit longer (typically I am away for a week soon so also trying to make it easier for our chicken sitters by only having 2 coops and not 3), put her in with her chosen family, or with the other 2 and hope they grow to like each other?
rick
Active member
What breed/size are the two existing groups elmdene?
I would hazard to say that almost any integration is possible but it can be a huge effort on your part in attention, nerves and time the bigger the mismatch. No real problem with the pellets - as long as the growers pellets aren't medicated then they can all have growers for the next few weeks, with a freely available supply of oyster shell in case the hens feel they need a top up of calcium. (but as the pekin is going to be over 17 weeks I recon before full time integration then not an issue)
Depending on it not being a huge mismatch in size and character, and if you have the space/layout to do this, I think I would try partitioning the run and perch (ideally if possible) with the cockerel and hen group so that the pekin can interact and roost as closely as possible for a couple of weeks then maybe start switching things around - maybe splitting the other way so the cockerel is on the other side of the divide and letting the pekin and the hen sort it out between them for week or so - then re-introduce the hens to the cockerel together next to each other on the perch in the dark.
Being ready, of course, to intervene if at any time blood is drawn though letting alone if it is only chasing and a bit of bullying - that usually diminishes fairly rapidly once they are all living with a degree of tolerance in the same space.
If you could get the preferred group interacting through a partition before going on holiday that would be all you can do for now.
... I should add, my only experience in this is with a very pint sized cockerel and LF hens. Be interesting to hear what others with LF cockerel experience make of it.
... One other thought - when I introduced my pullets to the older flock recently it helped hugely to have a range of perches just out of pecking distance and in hierarchical heights so they could hop down a perch when tolerance got frayed but still, effectively, be roosting in the common space. At the moment the boss hen is roosting on the high perch and all the others are on the next perch down (but the Legbars are getting bigger Aerial so watch out!)
I would hazard to say that almost any integration is possible but it can be a huge effort on your part in attention, nerves and time the bigger the mismatch. No real problem with the pellets - as long as the growers pellets aren't medicated then they can all have growers for the next few weeks, with a freely available supply of oyster shell in case the hens feel they need a top up of calcium. (but as the pekin is going to be over 17 weeks I recon before full time integration then not an issue)
Depending on it not being a huge mismatch in size and character, and if you have the space/layout to do this, I think I would try partitioning the run and perch (ideally if possible) with the cockerel and hen group so that the pekin can interact and roost as closely as possible for a couple of weeks then maybe start switching things around - maybe splitting the other way so the cockerel is on the other side of the divide and letting the pekin and the hen sort it out between them for week or so - then re-introduce the hens to the cockerel together next to each other on the perch in the dark.
Being ready, of course, to intervene if at any time blood is drawn though letting alone if it is only chasing and a bit of bullying - that usually diminishes fairly rapidly once they are all living with a degree of tolerance in the same space.
If you could get the preferred group interacting through a partition before going on holiday that would be all you can do for now.
... I should add, my only experience in this is with a very pint sized cockerel and LF hens. Be interesting to hear what others with LF cockerel experience make of it.
... One other thought - when I introduced my pullets to the older flock recently it helped hugely to have a range of perches just out of pecking distance and in hierarchical heights so they could hop down a perch when tolerance got frayed but still, effectively, be roosting in the common space. At the moment the boss hen is roosting on the high perch and all the others are on the next perch down (but the Legbars are getting bigger Aerial so watch out!)
Thanks Rick. They are all pekins and she is quite big already so only marginally smaller than the other hens. She is accepted by her preferred family outside of the coop in the garden and hangs out quite uneventfully with them, but the girls just don't like her being in their bedroom! I hadn't thought of giving them all growers pellets though - that could work.
rick
Active member
Ah, that doesn't sound so challenging! With some caution put her in with the other two in the dark so they wake up together in the morning. May have to manually put her in for several nights from the coop steps and if you go away then an alternative sheltered perch would be a good precaution till you get back (just depends whether you have to shut them all in at night or have a safe wider enclosure.)
... If you have to shut them in together and can't leave the door open then you'll have to be up before dawn to open it so she can get out if things get too heated.
... If you have to shut them in together and can't leave the door open then you'll have to be up before dawn to open it so she can get out if things get too heated.
Yes I tried putting her in with them last night but when it got to my own bedtime I 'chickened out' and put her back in her broody coop! She was cowering under Boris the cockerel, who is actually quite good at giving the other girls a peck if they get too uppity with her! I think I will persevere, maybe leave it another week though, and I can also stop the pop hole door from closing for a bit so she can escape to the enclosed run if necessary - good idea.
hy guys another lovely question a guy at my allotment has 3 female khaki cambell ducks point of lay and he said they are going as he has no room so he said hes going to neck them as im a lovely person i cant let him do this so ive said ill take them ive read up they need a good water tub so they can keep eyes clean ect i can do this ok but are these ok to mix with hens or not
valeriebutterley
New member
I have seen chickens and ducks together, no problems at all, but I do not know whether they were born and raised together or not.
I gather ducks can and will make do with a washing up bowl or an ex. baby bath as long as they have a water splash. I love ducks and would love a couple, I also have a pond in the garden, so maybe in 2018 I will make a few enquiries?
I gather ducks can and will make do with a washing up bowl or an ex. baby bath as long as they have a water splash. I love ducks and would love a couple, I also have a pond in the garden, so maybe in 2018 I will make a few enquiries?
They could possibly live alongside hens, given enough space, but in your situation it would add to your problems, Dye. You've posted about the mud in the run, and since you have to tip out the ducks filthy water every day or so, this will make the ground into a swamp. They are much messier than hens in any case, and will add to your rat problems. They will need a coop of their own, at ground level, as they can't roost and perch with your hens. They will need herding into the coop every evening at dusk as they don't take themselves off to bed like chickens do. They eat soaked wheat, or special duck pellets, not layers pellets, and in a mixed run the chickens will eat it too, and the lower protein and calcium content will unbalance their diet and egg production will go down.
I understand your kind impulse to save these ducks, but perhaps your friend is piling on the pressure for you to solve what is really his problem, not yours? Unless you can provide them with a large enough rat proof run of their own, my advice would be to think it through before rushing in to taking them.
I understand your kind impulse to save these ducks, but perhaps your friend is piling on the pressure for you to solve what is really his problem, not yours? Unless you can provide them with a large enough rat proof run of their own, my advice would be to think it through before rushing in to taking them.
3441sussex
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I kept 4 ducks for a few years in my youth. They had a duck house and free ranged in a large orchard and had access to a river. Unfortunately, one day they all disappeared and I assumed that they had been taken by a fox.
A few years ago I tried again. We knew we had foxes and so first kept them in a large run with an electric fence and a large plastic sandpit full of water for them to splash around in. However, this had to be emptied and refilled daily because it got so muddy. They are also incredibly messy eaters and their water containers get contaminated with their mash. Their droppings are wet and sloppy. I then decided keeping them in a run was not working and let them free range in the orchard, swim on the river and shut them in at night. This worked for a few months, but then we were having them taken in broad daylight and so I gave up and now just keep chicken.
I would love to keep ducks, but unless you have a large fenced area with a natural water supply it is an extremely messy business.
A few years ago I tried again. We knew we had foxes and so first kept them in a large run with an electric fence and a large plastic sandpit full of water for them to splash around in. However, this had to be emptied and refilled daily because it got so muddy. They are also incredibly messy eaters and their water containers get contaminated with their mash. Their droppings are wet and sloppy. I then decided keeping them in a run was not working and let them free range in the orchard, swim on the river and shut them in at night. This worked for a few months, but then we were having them taken in broad daylight and so I gave up and now just keep chicken.
I would love to keep ducks, but unless you have a large fenced area with a natural water supply it is an extremely messy business.
So what did you decide?
