- Apr 23, 2010
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We have a flock of 11 hens, all large mixed breeds about 1.5 years old and non-aggressive. They have a lot of space, the coop is about 10'x15' and the fenced run is at least 20'x20'. A good friend has chickens about 4 months old, and realized last month that one of them is a rooster. I've offered to take him so that my friend's young boy doesn't have to send him to the freezer. He's a beautiful white EE who is very nice to his pullets, and I think my hens would like having a rooster around - the poor things are so starved for attention these days that they all squat when we walk into the run...
I've never introduced a new chicken to an existing flock, so I'm hoping to get some pointers and feedback on the current plan.
I know it's recommended to quarantine new chickens for 30 days, but in this case we really don't have the facilities to do that. I'm willing to take the chance, since the rooster's owner and I frequently visit each others coops and chicken-sit for one another - both are small flocks that have always been very healthy, and I suspect they've already been exposed to one another via our shoes and clothing.
We're planning to bring him to our place tomorrow after dark, in a large dog crate. The drive is about 20 minutes max, so I'm thinking i'll stick a towel in there for him but not any food/water. I think we might let him spend most of the night in a darkened bathroom and pet him as much as he'll allow in the hopes we can bond a little, then put him on the roost a little before sunrise and supervise the hens as they wake up with him. He's getting to be as big as our smaller EEs, and is putting his hackles up when he sees me (and has been trying to mate with his unwilling flockmates for a month now). So I have a hunch our lonely ladies aren't going to challenge him too much. Just in case, we're planning to stick around all weekend to make sure there aren't any bad fights.
Does this sound like a reasonable plan?
Also, will the roo take his cues from the ladies and see the coop as home right away, or do we need to lock him inside for a week? We have 2 EEs that sometimes jump the fence to free-range (the others are able to fly out, but choose not to). Will he fly out with them and lead the other hens out, or are the EEs more likely to stay in the run with a roo around?
Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to update on how the integration is going!
I've never introduced a new chicken to an existing flock, so I'm hoping to get some pointers and feedback on the current plan.
I know it's recommended to quarantine new chickens for 30 days, but in this case we really don't have the facilities to do that. I'm willing to take the chance, since the rooster's owner and I frequently visit each others coops and chicken-sit for one another - both are small flocks that have always been very healthy, and I suspect they've already been exposed to one another via our shoes and clothing.
We're planning to bring him to our place tomorrow after dark, in a large dog crate. The drive is about 20 minutes max, so I'm thinking i'll stick a towel in there for him but not any food/water. I think we might let him spend most of the night in a darkened bathroom and pet him as much as he'll allow in the hopes we can bond a little, then put him on the roost a little before sunrise and supervise the hens as they wake up with him. He's getting to be as big as our smaller EEs, and is putting his hackles up when he sees me (and has been trying to mate with his unwilling flockmates for a month now). So I have a hunch our lonely ladies aren't going to challenge him too much. Just in case, we're planning to stick around all weekend to make sure there aren't any bad fights.
Does this sound like a reasonable plan?
Also, will the roo take his cues from the ladies and see the coop as home right away, or do we need to lock him inside for a week? We have 2 EEs that sometimes jump the fence to free-range (the others are able to fly out, but choose not to). Will he fly out with them and lead the other hens out, or are the EEs more likely to stay in the run with a roo around?
Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to update on how the integration is going!