# New baby chick mom



## Ryssasadusky (May 12, 2017)

Hello everyone, I am now a baby chick mom and I cannot express how happy I am with this adventure. 
First of all, I thank all of you who are posting info to us new chick raising parents! Everyone has been so helpful.

I'll start with, the coop I got came with beautiful 1 year old laying hens 3 of them, one speckled white and black and 2 speckled black And almost maroon. Anyone know what kind they are? 

I wasn't expecting to find hens so the same day I got 4 baby chicks at Bomgaars. I think they are one each of leg horn, black angopalosa (if that's the right name) 2 different bread of red Sussex one has stripped wings one has light wings. 


do have a few questions.... 

1 am I going to have trouble when they all go to the big coop together? 

2 i have dogs that are kind of being jerks to the big hens. Any suggestion on introducing them or should thru just never be around each other...i have house dogs And backyard city chickens. 

3 the ground where I would like my coop has river rock, the goal is to let then roam around the yard all day. Will the rocks be bad for there little feet? If they can roam all day in the dirt gravel and bark areas... my back yard is zero scape

4 I feel like I'm feeding the big hens all day they Just dump the food trough over and over. Should I get a different one? 

5 can I over handle baby chicks or the big hens? The big girls were raised with children so they let me hold them and love on them for a few min..i want to hold the baby chicks all day.... is this bad for them? 

6 I hear table scraps are good treats for the chickens I'm researching what is good and what not to give but can the babies have some too or should I wait till they go with the big girls?

7 do chickens get board? Should I get or make chicken toys? I'm worried about yard destructiveness and if they need activities to detour them from trashing the yard

O.k. o think that's all right now. 

On a side note I think they are all happy according to other posts on this forum. I appreciate all of you who have input!


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Wow,that's a list!!!First off.welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of chickens!!!!Let's see if I can answer a few of those questions.There probably won't be a problem introducing the new and the old if you do it gradually.Let the chicks get to be about 3 mos before trying.That way they are a little bigger and can take the bullying of the older hens.There will always be a pecking order and you have to let them work it out on their own, just watch that none are picked on to the point they receive injuries,then you may have to separate and try again at a later date.They can walk on a lot of surfaces but make sure they can't get their legs caught,leg injuries are very common and it doesn't take much to injure their legs.Get a hanging feeder for the adults.They can't knock it over and it discourages rodents.Handle your chickens all you like.Some like it,some don't but it keeps them tame in case you need to catch one while they are free-ranging.As for feeding scraps I wait until they are 3 mos old(my magic number) before introducing new food.You need to let their digestive system mature and provide grit which they all need to properly digest food.They can get bored but it's more of a problem for penned chickens.As for the dogs,break them now or you may have chicken killers.Some dogs don't bother chickens,some do.Maybe someone will have a suggestion on how to do it.Do you lock your chickens up at night?If not,you should.There are all kinds of resourceful predators looking for an easy meal.Hope this helps..... ​


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Hi and welcome! I think reading and owning are two different things, LOL
1. you shouldn't have trouble if they have enough room and the new ones are close to the size of the hens.
2. I don't mix dogs and chickens. I had a chicken killer dog. That's probably why. I also had a chicken killing mule.
3. Chickens can deal with gravel and stuff.
4 I can't answer that for others. My chickens have always had chamber pots and almost never spill even a pellet. I have 6 chamber pots right now in use.
5. Hold the chickens all you want.
6 I don't give treats to chicks until they are 3 or more months old. I think it's important to let only chick feed grow them up with proper nutrition. With my hens, they can eat whatever I eat.
7. Chickens that free range don't get bored. They just scratch and peck all day. The simple life!


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## Cassiy (May 14, 2017)

I am looking to get some new chicks. Can anyone reccomend some breeds?


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

The sky is the limit. What do you want them for? Do you want different color eggs? Other than that try to narrow down the field by your preferences and go from there.


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