Not sure how to add new pullets

My group is 26 weeks old (no Roo's). They are all different kinds (sex-link, australorp, cochin, Mottled Java, Black Copper Maran). They just started laying end of July, early August. (I don't really have a HUGE yard. (I will be giving the 2 Cochin away to a friend once these 2 are older). All are pretty mellow birds, get along well and I'd like to add 2 Easter Eggers. There is a local kid who raises many different breeds and is selling them at 3 1/2 months old. I have a portable tractor that I would be able to keep 2 birds in comfortably, but

1) Do I need to quarentine them still at that age?

2) How far away do the new birds need to be from the coop? They will be on the medicated feed until they reach laying age.

3) Anything I should look for when I go to pick out the 2 I like. Red Flags to not buy them?

4) I brooded my group outside in their coop (hubby won't let me do ANY chicken stuff in the house) and I don't know how to brood 2-3 chicks outside if adding the 3 month olds is a bad idea? Tips? Ideas? HELP

You should not have to "brood" them if they are 3.5months old. If they are that old you should be able to introduce them into your flock. I would just watch them to make sure nothing more than typical pecking order stuff is going on. They should not be on medicated feed after they feather out. If you feel the need to quarantene them, put a "sacrificial" bird with them, and keep them from any contact of your main flock for 1 month.

TurtlePowerTrav said:

You should not have to "brood" them if they are 3.5months old. If they are that old you should be able to introduce them into your flock. I would just watch them to make sure nothing more than typical pecking order stuff is going on. They should not be on medicated feed after they feather out. If you feel the need to quarantene them, put a "sacrificial" bird with them, and keep them from any contact of your main flock for 1 month.

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I was only thinking about brooding if the idea of adding the 3 1/2 month olds wouldn't work with my set up. I hear some people say quarentine for every age, and others have told me they just add them at night when the others are sleeping and they haven't had any problems. Is it possible that there are more issues in different parts of the country? I'm also in Oregon and it seems like a lot of people here don't quarentine from local flocks.

I added a 16 week old cockerel to my flock of six pullets when they were 12-14 weeks old without quarantene. I had no issues with health, he came from a farm in Sandy that had about 40 birds. If your new ones are local and have not been exposed to show birds it probably would be safe. And I have mixed feelings about adding at night. When they wake up and all of a sudden new birds are there it could be bad, especially if coop/run is small. My coop is 16x12 so adding my male during day was not bad. I would recommend during day time so you can observe and remove them if they get attacked. Remember there will be some squables as they establish a new pecking order.