This evening we picked up seven new chicks to add to our flock! We were looking all over for chicks after the big hatchery cancelled our order due to some disease outbreak. Turns out we have an exotic chicken breeder five minutes down the road from us.
Here's the gang, complete with our first rooster, the barred black guy in the middle. He is a Plymouth Rock, aka Barred Rock"
Here's the gang, complete with our first rooster, the barred black guy in the middle. He is a Plymouth Rock, aka Barred Rock"
And the funky gal looking at the camera has some Polish hen in her, and should lay blue eggs (she has blue skin around where her ears are!)
And this one is at the top of the pecking order. She was pecking at everyone this evening!
The reddish brown one has a little Polish and/or Silkie in her. We have quite the mix but they will all be large enough to integrate with our current flock.
This one is the oldest and biggest, and kept flying up onto me! She likes being stroked.
Aren't they an attractive party pack o' chickens?
She looks like a pigeon and my top nicely camouflages her! Excuse my shiny face and dubious hair. It was stinking hot in the garage tonight, although the chicks seemed comfortable.
She made herself very comfy. I love my chickens!
I have gotten some advice on how to integrate new chickens into an existing flock, but if anyone has any info to share, please feel free. We won't be doing it until the chicks are a lot bigger!!
I have gotten some advice on how to integrate new chickens into an existing flock, but if anyone has any info to share, please feel free. We won't be doing it until the chicks are a lot bigger!!
So fluffy! Wish i could stroke them and croon to them lol :)
ReplyDeleteWe add the new chickens to the roosts after all the girls have gone to sleep. And then put out lots of things to distract them when they wake up in the morning. Things you can put in the pen: Hang a cabbage, put out an assortment of cut open pumpkin, watermelon, melons, etc. Toss out corn scratch over the ground to keep them busy. You know best what you can feed your chickens, but it helps to give them something else to think about in the morning except each other.
ReplyDeleteCuties!!
ReplyDeleteThe new brood is awesome. I had chickens that liked to cuddle! I try to cuddle my grandparents chiceksn now, but they are not into it - I think you have to start them young
ReplyDeleteThe new chickens are adorable! I love the Polish ones with the fancy hair! I used to have 1 polish roo, he always got pecked on his head (the other didn;t know why he had puffy hair) and it made him a little nutty. I had to sell him so he was able to keep his sanity.
ReplyDeleteHow did the integration go? Did everyone mix well? are they friends now??
~Lynn
Angel, they need lots of cuddling!
ReplyDeleteCallie, tanks for the great advice. I read somewhere that you should integrate them when the little ones are adolescents (i.e. big enough to stand their own against the hens!) Do you think that's a good time to do it? They LOVE watermelon, which I started giving them during our recent heatwave!
Wandering Cat, I think you do have to handle them a lot from a young age to get them to like cuddling. I'm working on it! My other hens started with the human contact at a day old, but these little guys are four to six weeks old and a bit behind.
Lynn, I'm hoping the fluffy-headed ones will fit in. THey're doing okay with their current bunch but I'll be keeping on eye on things. Right now they're living in our garage. We will integrate them when they are bigger!
ReplyDeleteThey're beautiful. I love the ones with the bouffant hair.
ReplyDeleteThanks Vicki! They are so cute right now. :)
ReplyDelete