I need help from the pros

Hi all. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend...I need a little help.

I've got 6 almost baby chicks..They're just all mixed breeds. I got them at the feed store...They're almost 7 weeks old. I've had them on chick starter feed since I got them, and they've been staying in my garage. For the past few days I've been putting them in a cage a few hours a day, and putting it in the chicken pen, so they can get used to each other.
My question/s is. How long before I can let them mix with the other girls? And can they eat the same food I feed the others? (laying mix) And can they eat grit?

Any help you all can give me will be much appreciated.

Here they are in the cage, in the big pen. And back in their pen in the garage.

Hi Noend, I edited your post to show the pics for you and for everyone else visiting.

My opinion is that they will be old enough to fend for themselves, change the food and be introduced into the flock at 8 weeks. They can be on grit now...I never left chicks without that. So no worries about introducing it into their diets now.

Please remember that there will be squabbles, as the pecking order is going to be rearranged. Just try not to watch that bit.

Best time to introduce them officially in the flock, is at night after the adults have gone to bed. You sneek the newbies into the coop, shut the door and leave it dark. Come morning everyone will be shocked and confused and hopefully accepting of the new additions.

Hope this helps!

Oh, by the way, GORGEOUS babies! What breed is the partridge colored one? She is incredible!

Thanks Deb., you've been a very big help. I like the part about being shocked and confused. lol...I think the big hens is scared of the little ones. When I put the little ones in the pen the big ones huddle over in the corner, or like yesterday they all went in the house and went to roost. lol. i've had them 5 years, and this is the first new ones they've seen.
I don't know what breed they are. I just bought them as mixed breeds. Maybe somebody can tell me when they get a little bigger. I'm just hoping and praying that none of them is roosters. I don't know what I'll do with them if they are.
Thanks a lot for your help. I guess next week I can put them together, and hope for the best.

Did I do the pictures wrong? I could see them ok when I posted. Thanks for fixing it for me.

yes i agree with Deb...

if i were you i'd put a wire cage upside down or something with holes big enough for the little ones to go inside... just to make sure they will have food and water...

yes they are lovely little hens (hopefully) can anyone tell which is which yet or is it too early?

Thank you, tree. that's a great idea. I've got a door for the cage they're in with a small opening in it. I used to use it so a puppy could go in and eat, and the bigger dogs couldn't get to his food. That should work great.

I'm not spending much time with them yet. I'm afraid I may have to get rid of some of them, and I don't want to be too attached to them. I can't tell yet if any of them is roosters or not.

I agree pretty much with what was said but I would wait til they are a little older, but thats me. They are swwet looking peeps congrats on the new additions

Hi Anna, nice to see ya..And thanks for the input. I'd be happy to wait til they're older but they're in my garage, and it's hard to do any major work in there with them in there. lol.

Would it be better to put them in with the others all at once? Or should I move a couple at a time?

when you do it do it all at once no reason not to really that way the new ones will not be picked on to badly yah know safty in numbers lol
just do it at nite as stated before, and make sure they have somewhere they can get to that theothers can't til they know thier spots in the group I am sure they will do ok. Juat keep an eye on em for aa few days to make sure everything is going well with em. lol and if your babies are anything like mine after a while they will swarm you to save em from those big bad hens lol

Thanks Anna. I'll probably do that next week. Actually I may have to protect the big girls from the little ones. The big ones are scared of the chicks. lol

I agree with all the ladies. I switch my chicks over to krumbles at 8 weeks old, as I do not feed layer pellets specifically. No need to spend the extra money when they lay just the same on just a basic chicken feed. The picture you posted NoEnd, it looks like you have three easter eggers, two barred rocks, and one golden-laced wyandotte. Thats just my uneducated guess. The one that I am not for sure what it is, is the silver penciled one in the top right corner behind the dark one. I cannot see its feet. It almost has the coloring of a dark brahma. JMHO Good Luck!!!

Hey thanks for the guess. You're right about the easter eggers. I'll see if I can get some better pics, up close.
I separated my pen this morning and put them in one side so they'll have more room. And the big girls still can't get at them.

ooo easter eggers lays green eggs? good luck with those... love having them too. (my few silkies are crossed with them so i can get green eggs) none at moment being winter here...

Yeah, I love the easter eggers..good eggs too..Mines always been a little mixed up when it comes to laying. They usually quit laying aroung August, and start back around Nov. or Dec. I get plenty of eggs in the winter time.. I hope the new ones lays in the summer time.

lol now thats funny about the hens being scared of the babies

I agree with Dustin with the breeds. Sorry I was gone on a trip and couldn't get back to this discussion till now. Wait till they are 8 weeks old...so they can be on the same food. If you want to offer them just regular crumble, then do your upside down pen idea with the door open so they have a place to escape to from the big ones. But...if the big ones see food in there, they will suck in their tummies and make a run for it. Just hide the jar of grease so they don't smear it on them to slide through better.

lol Deb

Thanks Deb., it didn't work tho., even without the grease they still got through the opening. lol..

They're all together now. I only had a couple of problems, so far. They all seem to be friends now. I put them together Sunday.
I have pictures I'll post later. I'm on dialup right now, and pictures don't work too good on my dialup.

This is the one I suspect might be a roo...The first day they were with the big girls. You can see it, and the one with the black head (Lee Ann) she's the boss of the girls. They just stared at each other for a couple of minutes, then the little one rushed her. She gave him/it a good spanking and told him to behave, haven't had any more problems that I know of.

Looking good to me. I wouldn't decide if that is a roo yet. Barred Rocks do have larger combs and wattles on the hens also. Give us a shot of the saddle feathers (the little feathers around the back side, just where the tail feathers start).

yep I agree don't be to haisty there fox erm noend:P
it is kinda hard on some breeds, I am still guessing on one that was hatched out last summer:P
and we are now pretty certain the it is a roo, he must be a late bloomer cause no crowing yet but he did "try" lol to mount a hen she beat the stuffin out of him lmao.
as of now with out the pic I would headge to say pullet but it is really a guess give it a bit more time and get that pic if you can a shot like Deb saif we mite be able to tell

Thanks girls. I sure hope you're right. I'm in no big hurry, if it is a roo I'll try to find it a good home. I live in farm country, so somebody should need a roo. But it has deformed feet too, that may be a problem.
I'll get some pics. today.

Thanks for you input, and have a wonderful weekend.

Lol, hey Anna, your hens play hard to get?

Deb., I hope this is what you mean. And you can see the deformed foot. It doesn't seem to bother him/her, it gets around as good as the others.

The feathers that lead to the base of the tail do not have that droopy pointed look that roo's get. I am thinking you just may have a hen there.

The toes are curled due to a vitamin deficiency as a chick. They are rarely hindered by this fact, but watch the nails on the affected toes, as the chicken won't be able to scratch at the ground properly to wear them down. You will have to trim them if they get too long.

Wow Deb., you're just great, the bearer of good news. Thanks, I feel better already.

And you're probably right about the vitamin deficiency. It was the runt, always sitting off by it's self, and didn't eat like the rest of them. It's still smaller then the rest. And I should be able to trim it's nails if I have to. I trim all my dogs nails, can't be any harder than that.

Thanks a lot. I sure hope you're right about it being a hen, and I think you are.

Your welcome, but I don't always count myself as right...just a best guess made from pictures. I saw, above, that you have more than one barred rock. Is there a difference between the feathers around the tail on either of them, or the same? Some roos are late bloomers. This pic, just above, shows that there is still some more feathers to come in around the tail. We will just sit here in hopes and wait to find out that she is INDEED a she.

Clipping their nails is the same as a dog or cat. Mine liked it when I did it. I think it made their feet feel better.