A few questions after adding 2 pullets to flock.

[csanfo]

Hey all, I have kind of a tricky question. About 2 months ago I got 8 baby chicks from a person who runs a farm near by. I raised them well and all were doing great, until, 2 of them started crowing and I returned them to the breeder. I swapped them for 2 more pullets about 3-4 weeks in age and built a separation cage for them in the coop with the others and put them in. I hadnt seen all the articles about quarantining yet... So now come the questions as I really need something to help put my mind at ease.

First, I kept them separate for about 3 days inside the coop and on the third night I placed them up on the roosts and let them start doing their thing. Its been two weeks and they are not exactly buddy buddy with the other birds, but they tolerate each other and I haven't seen any major fights. How long do you think it will be until they're all one big happy family? Will it ever happen?

On to the more troubling question...
I did not quarantine the 2 new birds out of ignorance... my only thinking that they may be okay is that I got them from the same place that I got my baby chicks from only the new ones were about 3 weeks old compared to my 2 month old flock. Would this give them any sort of grace since I did not quarantine being from the same place of birth before I got them?

I really feel silly for not looking on here before the switch. What should I be looking for, and will I be able to detect and remedy the problem if something comes up? I am a worried, but I have not seen anything YET to say that I have trouble with illness on my hands. I would just feel terrible if something were to happen.

Thanks in advance

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Generally you look for sneezing, nasal drainage, eye swelling, diarrhea, lethargy, etc. There are many illnesses chickens can get, but it sounds as though so far everything is OK.

Here is a general link with diagnosis charts at bottom:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Also mites/lice/worms should be always watched for. For worms: thin hens, diarrhea, depressed-looking hens, deaths. Mites and lice- look for the bugs on them.

It may take them some time, such as a month or two, but eventually they will get more used to each other. They will always be two groups though from my experience. They are very cliquish.

 

[AudraF]

Hi! I suspect that they will get along better after being with each other a while longer. I have introduced new chickens into my flock many times and they always start out as "outsiders", but then begin to fit in with everyone else. My chickens are totally free range at the moment though, so they can easily avoid each other if they feel the need to.

I wouldn't worry about not quarantining them. The chickens were all from the same farm and assuming nothing biologically has changed on that farm, they were raised in the same biological conditions.

As far as signs of illness, I don't think there will be an issue, but if you know your chickens, you'll know if they are sick. A drop in egg production, abnormal droppings, coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, etc. can all be signs of illness. Welp Hatchery actually has a pretty good page on poultry health. Here's the link: http://www.welphatchery.com/poultry_health

I also own sheep, llamas, and other animals. A favorite resource of mine is the Merck Veterinary Manual. This is the link to the poultry section incase you feel it necessary to read up : http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/poultry.html

Hope this helps and gives you peace of mind!
Audra

 

[Nuggetirl]

edit: took so long to post my reply that others covered everything better than I ever could.
Fail.

 

[csanfo]

Thanks for the insight everyone. I'll keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary!

 

[julsmc]

Hi,
I want to add an 11 week old Bantam Cochin to my coop with 3 grown Silkies. They are getting along as I put them in a playpen during the day. My question is the food. I want to change to chick grower until the pullet is 16 weeks. Will it hurt my adult Silkies?

 

[Den in Penn]

Julsmc: No it won't hurt the adult siklies.

 

[julsmc]

thanks so much. The Bantam is getting beat up by the chicks she was raised with, they are so much bigger then her.