New companions for hybrids

CLB 12 weeks ish and CB 14 was the impression I got from the breeder. They do look young. Will keep them seperate for a month and a half at least.
Thanks all for all the info :)
 
Brilliant, just what I would have chosen!
Any pics of them, Rick?
It would be worth trying to establish exactly how old they are, so you know how long you need to keep them apart. If only 12 weeks, get a 5 kilo bag of growers pellets for them until they're at least 17 weeks and settled in.
 
Not wanting to blog on too much but it's been an interesting day. CB, who may get the name Sofia (the hen), is so pensive she almost seems like a wild bird. CLB, possibly Janis (who lays the blues), is clearly more comfortable with things.
Got s bit of a shock when I looked in the coop at dusk and they'd gone! There's a tiny space on the nesting shelf on their side they had flown up to - have to make it bigger tomorrow.
I know I shouldn't be surprised that they are so different from the sisters, who were handled from hatching by a class of children and raised on a kitchen table, but it is interesting to be getting to know birds with no trust of people at all.
It is obvious that they are both bright and resourceful enough to get out through gaps that the sisters wouldn't even notice.
I see now adult CBs don't have much of a comb and that was what made me think she was quite young. Will check again with the breeder. She said that she had them on a mix of layers and growers pellets and that the CBs were a couple of weeks older than the CLBs - I wasn't paying proper attention.
 
They look about 16-18 weeks, depending on the breeder they may have had minimal human contact, add to that being plonked in a box and arriving in a strange new place with older hens making hostile noises and it adds up to a stressful day for them but they will settle in quickly enough. They look healthy though I always feel that crested birds could benefit from a nice haircut, short back and sides maybe?, I hear it makes them lay more eggs ;)
 
CLB's little tufty 'fascinators' are lovely,I think, combined with their pretty combs and delicate colouring they are a delight to look at. When Nutmeg was a chick and first started growing her crest when she had no comb to speak of, it looked so sweet.
I'm sure they will soon find out what the rattle of the corn box means, Rick!
 
Well I have to say these two new girls. Betty (CLB) and Aerial (CB), are showing up my hybrids to be a proper bunch of bad girls! Betty, in particular, is so dainty and demure and Aerial, despite having a raven like appearance, is a sensitive soul too.
When I got home today someone (probably Teabag) had pushed the temporary Partition out of the way and Teabag and Brownie were in the newcomers side. Betty and Aerial were taking refuge on today's clutch of eggs at the top of the steps with Blaze patrolling around the bottom. It seems odd that Blaze, who up till now was slightly the underdog, is now the main aggressor. It's like Teabag and Brownie are so sure of their position that they're blarsay about it while Blaze is on a mission!
I've realised that I need to make circular routes for escape and screens when the partition finally comes down but I'm sure it will be OK in the end.
 
It's quite usual for the one at the bottom of the heap to be the main aggressor - I suppose it's partly joy at having someone to boss around at last, and partly the need to make sure they understand that they're going to be lower in the pecking order than her, so she throws her weight around until they're subjugated. You're dead right about Teabag and Brownie feeling confident - they're the officer class, and Blaze is the N.C.O. who teaches the new recruits all about square bashing!
 
Yes, that seems to be the way of it so far. It's nice to see that Aerial and Betty are sticking it out as friends. Both are lovely. I'm particularly struck by the CB's sleekness (for want of a better word). Good call!
 
She is indeed very pretty! Congratulations on your new birds, Rick. I hope they are settling in.
 
Thanks Chickenfan. Yesterday the sisters broke through the partition again but this time it was in the morning so by the time I got back from work they had been together all day. Any idea of quarantine has gone out the window I think! There was no blood spilt and I was tempted to leave them together but Betty seems to not be getting much to eat through being chased around so I've reinforced the divider and separated them again. Going to build her up until she's SuperBetty and ready to take on the world!.
Are cream legbars usually so small? She's not laying yet but still is less than half the bulk of the hybrids and has such a tiny crop that it's barely noticeable even after apparently tucking into mash with milk and sprouts.
Aerial is light but more like the size of the hybrids at that age.
 
The rain has stopped!

4-year-old CLB = 2.05 kilos.
3-year- old CB = 2.15
4--year-old Buff Sussex = 2.85
Weighed the way I do the dog - I weigh myself on bathroom scales, then again holding hen, and find the difference.
Remember yours aren't fully grown yet, and I've found they usually take a while to get to feeding properly when new to a run.
 
Ha! Everyone got weighed! Betty is 1.15 kg. I guess that's not too far off the mark considering her age.
Just out of interest
Aerial 1.43
Brownie (the 1.5yo hybrid and heaviest ) 2.35
 
There is a noticeable difference in bulk between a POL pullet and a hen. My legbar based hybrids were small birds at that age, unfortunately they had been crossed with Plymouth Rocks and so didn't stay that way for long when adults. Aerial will track your existing birds weight at that age pretty much as she is essentially the same breed as them. It's worth keeping the two sets apart while your youngsters are still growing as less food will have an effect their development.
 
Thanks for the reassurance. Add a kg to both and they will be pretty much the same as Marigolds hens. Also Betty seems to be shedding fluffy feathers a lot right now (and not just through Blazes assistance!) It's actually working out pretty well and all will be due a worming at the same time when the youngsters reach POL. Will keep them apart till then.
 
If Betty is shedding fluffy feathers she's probably still finishing her juvenile moult. Pullets shed their first feathers at around 12- 16 weeks, rather like the way mammals get a second set of teeth at a comparable stage of development. So this means she has quite a bit of growing to do yet before she's actually POL but that's fine, she will have time to settle in before getting ready to lay.
 
Thanks everyone. I think we're on track now.
P.S. Chickens seem to have an instinctive reluctance to stand on kitchen scales without explicit promises that mushrooms are not involved!
 
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