After a fox killed 5 of my chickens, it was a pretty quick decision to get more baby chicks. I had already spent a lot of time and money to set up chicken infrastructure, and though I was sad about losing those chickens – Flappy Flappers, S’mores, Cluckmaster Flex, MacNcheese, and Brownie – I knew that I needed to try again.
So, now my fence is reinforced to prevent digging, and there is a automatic door on the coop, but most importantly, I go out to the coop about 15 minutes before the door closes and wait for them – Ash Katcher and Cecilia – to get in.
On that fateful night, I went out to the coop after dark, in the rain, and heard the fox. I then saw 2 chicken bodies on the ground, and my heart sank.
A New Baby Chick Beginning
I ordered new chicks from the same place I had gotten the previous flock, but of course, different breeds were available than what I had originally gotten. I was most excited about a Bielefelder hen, a Swedish Flower Rooster, and a Golden Cuckoo Marans, but unfortunately, the Swedish Flower Rooster, the Golden Cuckoo Marans, and a Frizzle Easter Egger were dead on arrival. So, I had orderd 9 chicks, and ended up with 6, and also roosterless. I didn’t even get to order a Swedish Flower Hen (female) which is one of the best egg layers over winter.
Not a great start, but at least the Bielefelder was still alive and the other Frizzle Easter Eggers are still exciting. I also got an Exchequer Leghorn hen, and an Olive Egger Hen. The chicks seem active and healthy after the first few days, so hopefully all goes well.
And I’m excited to think of more brilliant and funny and cute chicken names.
New Aspects of Raising Another Flock of Baby Chicks
The interesting aspect of raising another flock of chicks is to integrate them with the two older chickens. Chickens have a pecking order, so the older ones will certainly try to maintain the top spots between them. The issue will be whether the younger chicks get bullied by the older chickens, or if they will be protected.
Hopefully, with several see and sniff interactions they will be familiar enough that letting the full flock roam free won’t cause any issues. There’s also ample space, food, and water for all of the chickens, so there shouldn’t be any fighting over resources or coop space.
Eventually Adding a Rooster
Since our Swedish Flower Hen Rooster (I really dislike that “hen” is part of the breed name – it just makes things confusing) chick was dead on arrival, and our other one was eaten by the fox, the flock is now roosterless. Fortunately, it’s pretty simple to introduce a rooster into a flock of hens, because he will take the top spot in the pecking order and all the hens will know it.
