newbie question

[ffynnon]

Hello everyone, another newbie here unsure if my instincts are right or if I'm worrying too much.

We are about ready to buy some hens (3 maybe 4). the hen house is built and the run is nearly done. I spoke to a local poultry breeder today to ask if he had the hens i wanted, they did, but 2 are 17 weeks and the other 2 are 12 weeks old which would mean a different feed for the younger 2. I have only bought layers pellets as I intended to get POL hens but it would not be a problem to buy rearer pellets as well.
My questions are:-
1. Would it be a problem putting hens of different ages together, would the older ones bully the younger ones?
2. Would feeding them all rearer pellets for a few weeks be detrimental to the older hens?
3. Would it be better if i went to a different breeder (90 minutes drive away) that has POL hens that are of the same age?

My instinct is that mixing them may be more than a novice like me can cope with. Thoughts please.

thanks
Ffynn

 

[Marigold]

Hi ffynnon and welcome to the Forum.
Yes, ideally it would be better to get them all the same age, for the reasons of feeding and integration that you mention. It would be OK either to get them all at 17 or at 12 weeks, as in any case the older ones are unlikely to lay before the New Year because of the dark winter days and would have to grow on and wait until maybe Jan- Feb before laying. By that time the 13-week-olds would also be at POL. If you did get the ones you've seen, do get 4 rather than 3 or you will have one of an odd age which will be very difficult to integrate. If you could pen the two pairs separately for a few weeks, they would be OK together by the New Year I expect.
What sort of pullets are you hoping to get? If purebreds, then you may have to travel, as you say, to get your chosen breed, because most purebred breeders will have run down their stocks at this time if year and may be mainly keeping their own breeding birds over the winter, but if you're looking for egglaying hybrids they should be available all year round, somewhere nearer than 90 miles away. Whereabouts do you live?
I expect that, like me, you are someone who gets an idea about a lovely project and wants it to be in place immediately, but had you considered waiting to get them until the Spring? Caring for non-laying chickens in the winter wet and cold conditions isn't so rewarding as when the weather and light begin to improve, and the eggs start to arrive!

 

[ffynnon]

hi Marigold, thanks for your reply. I think, having slept on it, that we will forget the idea of mixing the two ages for the moment. It will be another week before everything is ready, as the weather for the next few days is predicted to be very stormy - we are on an amber alert for high winds on Sunday. I am in Pembrokeshire. We will have a rethink when everything is finished. I fitted the automatic door opener this morning, I still have a security light to fix but will need hubby to help with that one.

No doubt I will be back with more questions before long.

thanks again

ffynn

 

[chrismahon]

Good decision Ffynn. Mixing with that age difference so young will potentially be a big problem. Rearers pellet until the first lays is my formula, but they're safe on layers pellets after 18 weeks. The rearers speed their development, so best kept on them until laying I think, because the extra Calcium for egg laying comes from their bones first and their feed after, so the feed replenishes the bones not makes the shells directly. So when you get the first egg change immediately.

Chickens form tribes from 2 weeks. So mixing chickens from different tribes thereafter is a problem as they fight to establish the pecking order and maintain their territory. So yours would have been from different tribes and the smallest at 5 weeks younger, so a lot smaller, would be in serious trouble. The problems lead to bullying off the feeder and we actually had two 10 week birds bullied by 5 younger ones (6 weeks) off the feeder, because the younger tribe fought them off, even though their adversaries were much bigger.