Introducing Young Chicks to Older Flock (Phase 1)

[@Constitutionalapologist]

I love the cynderblock flower pot, predator proofing. Great idea and super cute. Thanks for the video. I'm building up the courage to merge by chickens.

[@mikedennington8856]

How wonderful that an aged woman such as you can manage to look after these birds.

[@DebraCarmona]

Ha ha ha "aged woman" Chicken are fairly easy to care for.

[@susankoch1319]

So smart about chickens you are! If those are Rhode Island reds great layers but can be mean. Thanks for raising chicks separate

[@holygoldendoodles]

I love your set up. I love watching videos like this. Good job.

[@intruderIG]

Subscribed to Your channel. I love to see people taking care of their animals and not just use them and abuse them.Your simple video made my day. Thank You

[@DebraCarmona]

I love my chickens. They give me great pleasure. I love to sit and just watch them.

[@onedazinn998]

Adorable decorations with the blocks 2fold purpose is fab...your husband is a kind beefcake to do the heavy lifting o.- mine does the same thing. :) good job with the coop.

[@tinaturan4464]

What a nice little pen. We have one similar to this for our nine chicks. It's our first time with chickens and they are 7 weeks today. We are getting a rooster soon because we like to let them outside the pen for short periods while we watch them. They are so curious and cute. We have hawks and eagles around too, so I am so careful. That's a great idea for the sand bath inside a tire. I'll have to let my hubby know ;)

[@janiemelgoza166]

Nice job on your coop.

[@taghew]

I really enjoyed this. Thanks for posting. We have twelve hens. We started with fifteen but lost two to foxes and one to either a mink or a weasel.

[@DebraCarmona]

Yeah we have had hawks take a couple of ours and one time a pack of dogs from the neighborhood attack my flock while they were free roaming. That is why I have covered pens for when they are penned but we do like to let them out pretty regular when we know we can keep an eye on them.

[@mamabrumble59]

Just followed you. I adore your very relaxing informative style. I could watch you Al day long follow your young chicks God bless #AmericanMade

[@DebraCarmona]

Thanks for saying so. Watching the chickens play is relaxing and amusing. I sometimes say the wrong thing like "brick" when I meant "cinder block" so for that you'll have to forgive me.

[@isabelcervantes5]

I'm in love with your pen! So cute💕🐔

[@DebraCarmona]

The previous three chickens that I made this pen for are now with the older hens. One of the young chicks turned out to be a rooster so now I have three new baby chicks that will be going out soon. This little pen is almost like a nursery for my baby chicks.

[@isabelcervantes5]

thats great that theyre are getting along with eachother! & you inspired me to make a new pen for my chickens!

[@daphneburatti2678]

Wow great idea for the buried wire!

[@jcloud2928]

They inately know when they hear crows to be still and look up! The crows are warning other birds of their (hawks) presence. I got some good ideas from your video. Thank you for sharing.

[@crystal24603]

I did this with my new 1 month old chicks and now the older hens refuse to go inside the coupe to sleep at night. They been roosting in the outdoor run at night.

[@DebraCarmona]

Ha ha snobs they are. It is always a little upsetting when something new is introduced to the flock. They will eventually merge as a flock it just takes time.

[@NumberOneForever2]

Nice ate up 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

[@inkthedrake6854]

why do these look like our last clutch?

[@DinoLife2007]

Such a lovely coop!

[@DebraCarmona]

You think it is nice now. Wait until you see the next video with the huge changes I made to my whole set up. Getting these three new chicks gave me inspiration to give the whole Coop an overhaul.

[@DinoLife2007]

Oh that's neat! I'm looking forward to the video. I was wondering if I could ask you a question. I have one chicken who is a hen. she is a buff orphington and has been doing good with laying eggs. But the last few months, shes been laying rubber eggs and some days just the egg yolk and egg white. Ive called the local feed stores and they all suggested oyster shells. So I mixed it in her food and she started to lay eggs again for about a week and a half. Then I noticed she wont eat the oyster shells. She would eat around them and the oyster shells would go in the dirt. I also tried giving her can oysters because a local feed store suggested she might be egg bound. But she doesn't show any discomfort. The next day after the can oyster she began to lay again for a few days then she stopped. I think now she doesn't like eating the can oysters. I called a local vet that suggested to give her tums. Because she has a calcium deficiency. However I don't feel comfortable giving her tums and eventually it will become expensive if it becomes part of her daily diet. We recently got a chick who looks to be a rooster and I plan on adding a few more chicks so she wont be alone. My niece brought her unexpectedly so I did not plan on having chickens but it is fun having chickens. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for boosting calcium for a chicken?

[@DebraCarmona]

I save the egg shells from my chickens after I use the eggs. I usually toss them into a pan that will go into the oven when I am preheating to cook something else. That removes the egg flavor and makes them easier to crush. I use a coffee cup and crush them into tiny pieces periodically. When I feed the hens treats from the house I may sprinkle a few eggs shells (almost powder) in with the food. I also use them in my garden and flower beds. Because they were baked and the egg taste is gone they it will not cause them to become egg eaters. That is FREE calcium that you do not have to buy. Are your hens always penned up? If they free roam they will eat all sorts of bugs and their eggshells will be stronger.

[@DinoLife2007]

Hey..well its been a few days maybe roughly a week of giving her egg shells. the eggs shells are fairly tiny but it looks like she is eating around them and their going into the dirt. I am going to try crushing them to the point the shells are almost powder and sprinkle it on table food. I have another question that the local feed store suggested to not feed a hen in the evening because that is when they nest. I tried withholding food from her in the evening but she would be looking for her food in the evening. I believe she is well aware of how much food to eat and I don't have to worry about her over eating. I was wondering if you stop your chickens feeding in the evening? I wish my chickens were free range chickens but my house is a hot spot for neighboring cats and dogs along with our cats and dogs. So she is a caged chicken but not all day. She walks around in the morning and evening for a few hours.

[@DebraCarmona]

I almost always keep feed in the feeder all the time. They eat what they want when they want. When it gets dark they go to roost and stop eating. If I were to leave the light on in the evening they would continue to eat. I try to only do that during winter months for a longer day so I get more eggs otherwise they would stop laying on short winter days.

[@stephenmcgraw3610]

I have 6 chicks there only 10 days old i have a 250 watt heat light in my house I was wondering if i can place them in my garage with the heat light i can always put my mini split on also to keep them warm

[@DebraCarmona]

That could work. My first set of chicks we kept in the back porch under a heat lamp and they survived just fine. You can tell when they are cold if they huddle near the heat lamp and if they are too warm they spread out away from the lamp. I just raise the lamp if they get too hot.

[@nashwaran473]

So kool How long it will take them to get used to

[@DebraCarmona]

I waited until they were full grown 4 to 6 months before integrating them with the other flock. At first the older ladies were a little mean and the younger ones would run from them but it didn't take more than a month for them to really mix as united flock.

[@nashwaran473]

@@DebraCarmona thanks a lot glad to hear I thought it will never happen

[@mariesheppard3750]

Love the way you did the block s gives me ideas thanks I love chickens Have 9 new baby s hatch one week ago

[@DebraCarmona]

That is the way creativity works one person's ideas inspire another. I also am expecting baby chicks this week.

[@11yearoldhomstead26]

This was practically ASMR with chicken

[@scorpio7five]

How do you keep cats from attacking your chicks?

[@DebraCarmona]

I have never had that problem. Perhaps when I got the cat it was a kitten and chickens were bigger than it. Even when she has grown she never seems to bother the chickens. I have had trouble with dogs though. Had to get rid of one puppy who kept attacking my chickens.

[@scorpio7five]

What about stray cats?

[@DebraCarmona]

@@scorpio7five My neighbors cat comes over every day to hang out with my chickens. They have become good friends. The chickens are never alarmed by the cats presence.

[@DebraCarmona]

Part 2 is coming soon. I had to wait for the chicks to grow up a bit. But from this video you can see my plan of keeping them separate but yet together for the safety of the young chicks.

[@DebraCarmona]

I had to give him time to grow and I have a busy life so not always able to upload videos as quickly as I wish I could.

[@gailrogers3012]

Thanks for sharing. I just want to give you a heads up. Raccoons can get through chicken wire. You really need a stronger fencing if there are raccoons around. Hopefully you don't :) beautiful set up!

[@leelee001]

that is very cool thx for the ideas :) love your happy hens

[@DebraCarmona]

+leelee Thanks for watching. One of those babies turned out to be a rooster. Check out my other video to see how that changed things for me and for the coop. Look for the video "Young Rooster's First Date"

[@plaic6900]

you have a very nice chicken coop and pen way better than mine!

[@DebraCarmona]

Before I made all these modifications I had an ugly coop and ugly pens and well, I just got tired of them so decided to dress them up because a cute Coop is so much more pleasant for my eyes to behold. :-)

[@poot72]

Cute, but this really isn't about Introducing, more of a 17 minute showcase of your set up. I kept waiting to see if you actually at some point put them together and it was just about pens...Is there a second part? You have a very cute place for your chicks.

[@DebraCarmona]

@puSSislaya300 That is just the first phase. I had to wait for the chick to grow more before I could film the rest of the story which is now in my playlist about chickens

[@rrobcher]

I have 2 chickens who are adults (both hens) and I was going to introduce 2 chicks. Would they start a pecking order or can they be together since the flock is small?

[@DebraCarmona]

RRobcher it is common that when new chickens are added to the flock the older hens will want to let them know who rules the roost. If you do keep a close eye on them so they do not kill the babies. One of my friends tried bring baby chicks into her flock and they killed them. I always try to give the younger ones time to grow so they can better defend themselves.

[@shelleybrown4213]

Yes thanks I know xx

[@ashlieneevel2708]

I didn't see a door for you to be able to go in and clean the run.

[@DebraCarmona]

Ashlie Neevel I added it later. I was anxious to let the young ones into the pen so initially it did not have one.

[@Expediera]

My chicks go out in a separate pin at a week old. They are a lot more hardy then what people tend to think. But to each there own I guess

[@DebraCarmona]

That would depend on what time of year. Last summer I had a chick hatched in the summer time so he was outside next day. The year I had these chicks was very early spring while is was still cold so I kept them in the house until they feathered out.

[@vforsejrv7801]

You need some more environment in your chicken run. No chicks likes to live in a desert. And it wouldnt harm to have some more space too. Thanks for sharing. 😊

[@DebraCarmona]

VForSejr V this small pen provided the young chicks a safe place while they were smaller than the full grown hens. Once they grew they were joined with the other flock. All the chickens are let out of their pens almost daily to scrounge around the forest floor for crickets and other bugs or wander into my grassy front yard for some greens. I assure you my chickens live a good life.

[@vforsejrv7801]

Debra Carmona Thanks you for you fast reply. I glad to hear that. Then I don’t have to worry about that😊👍🏻. Hugs from Denmark 😊

[@petersburgfc5708]

@@DebraCarmona you are a great keeper of chickens, there is no need to explain this to anyone. It is a passion you have and you obviously care very much for your flock. Chickens do just fine in desert conditions as well and your pen is very nice and suitable for the purpose you outlined in the video. It amazes me in the comments how many low life uneducated idiots have the audacity to speak down to you like you don't know what your doing. I have to say I think your way too nice lol. Best wishes to you and your husband and keep up the good work.

[@julianacarter6067]

I lost a runt chick from cold and it suffocated and a hen from unknown causes

[@DebraCarmona]

Yeah, stuff happens

[@myshinobi1987]

That tote is waaaaay too small for those birds.

[@DebraCarmona]

I start them off in a small one just until they grow their feathers then I move them outside. I have a bigger container if the flock is bigger. The reason I built the extra pen enclosure was to give them more room in a secure location while they are small. When they become adults they will be allowed to merge with the rest of the flock where they have even more space. I feel my flock has a bigger enclosure than most chicken runs I see people do.

[@djmz1969]

Wow, to each its own.

[@DebraCarmona]

Yes, everyone is different that is what makes the world interesting.

[@abxchange]

Everything is I, My, Me, Mine. You can tell who rules the roost at your place. Until you said husband, I thought he was a hired hand. Glad he has a dog.

[@DebraCarmona]

My husband works nights so is not around to help all the time. Only on his off days he can lend a hand and does so with the heavier stuff but truth is I do most of the work around my home because I am the one most interested in building, modifying, or renovating. The projects we do are usually my plans. It is not his interest but he supports me in all my plans and helps when I need help. That does not mean I am head of the household. The wood work shop is for me. He buys the tools for me and I use them. The only time he uses them is when he helps me do a project. I assure you he has no problem with any of that. I am not a helpless female confined to just "woman's work". and he is proud of that fact. He works hard to provide for his family why should I expect him to do everything when I am capable of doing the work myself?

[@michaeljackson7361]

I like it

[@bobhmail7161]

The picking teaches the younger birds that there is an order. If you didn't hatch your eggs using an incubator the natural order of their nature would be supported and the mother would protect the chicks from agitators, thus another lesson learned. Perhaps, you should wrap your practice in the theme that this is how you facilitate and unnatural integration of birds. You can also just wait until they are full grown and let them learn the pecking order like that. Regardless, every bird is going to get pecked and your ego and their humanization will be disturbed.

[@DebraCarmona]

+Bob Hmail I would love for the hens to do the job as I think they might have a higher hatch rate but I have not been able to get my hens to hatch eggs. None of them will sit on the eggs so I have no choice but to use the incubator. I even tried leaving them a group of eggs and hung a curtain for privacy but none would sit. They do learn the pecking order one way or another. I have heard too many stories of very young chicks getting killed by older hens so I wait until they are big enough to defend themselves before integrating them with the more mature flock. I have observed that even with the small group of new chicks they have their own pecking order.

[@FaenumVena]

+Debra Carmona if you want hens to hatch their eggs, you need breeds that go broody. I've got 3 bantams: a pekin bantam, a Brahma bantam and a serama bantam and have real issues stopping them being broody all summer. the reason why I have the Brahma was cos I couldn't break the pekin a couple of years ago so I got her some eggs to hatch to make her happy. it worked, but now I have more chickens that go broody every summer, to the point they will starve themselves they are so determined to make the eggs hatch.

[@DebraCarmona]

Aren't bantams smaller chickens?

[@FaenumVena]

+Debra Carmona yeah, for some reason bantams go broody a lot more than full size ones do. I guess its because they haven't had it bread out of them so much as they are more ornamental as their eggs are small, although very tasty. I've had standards and bantams and the bantys will go broody pretty much every summer, didn't have the same issues with the big lady's.

[@FaenumVena]

+Faenum you can put anything under a broody hen and they will try and hatch it, even golf balls, so if you want chicks hatched out by hens, get a couple of pekin bantams and put your other chickens eggs under them. its amazing just how much egg they get under themselves.

[@ankitgomes3398]

Thank you ☺️☺️☺️☺️but I still hate hawks 😒😒😒😒😒😒

[@DebraCarmona]

You are welcome

[@julianacarter6067]

our chickens were living outside in a pen at 1 week!

[@DebraCarmona]

If the weather is warm enough they could be outside. But mine were young when the weather was cold so I kept them inside the house until they had all their feathers.

[@nanorrr]

My older chicks almost killed my younger chicks :(

[@DebraCarmona]

Yes, I had a friend who tried to introduce young chicks and the older flock killed them all so my plan was to protect the young until they were grown.

[@kend9645]

pt would make it last, not reg 2x4's.

[@DebraCarmona]

what is pt?

[@kend9645]

PT, is treated wood, yellow wood brand is the best non toxic and will give longer life, used where the 2x4's touching the ground. Hope this helps.

[@hannahloveshens6748]

There legs are lovely and yellow

[@DebraCarmona]

Hannahloves Hens I have observed that the younger chicks do have yellow legs but as they get older their legs become more pale almost white looking.

[@julianacarter6067]

and they slept outside

[@heavierthanheaven88]

no they didnt... she showed you their segregated coop that the pull door leads too....

[@ankitgomes3398]

Hawks are the worst ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️🙁☹️☹️☹️

[@DebraCarmona]

YES, next one I see near my place I will shoot.

[@blackkat3352]

to much bla bla bla.

[@beachgirrl878]

Much like your comment.