Need advise ASAP. Is taking in 5 hens from small family farm a bad idea? I have 5 hens 9 weeks old.

[farmland1]

New chicken owner.

We have 5 Wyandotte hens 9 weeks old. Bought from hatchery. Healthy. They are not vaccinated for Mareks. We also have 8 Guinea keets but I was planning to house them separate.

I need a coop for them ASAP and found a nice 2yr old used one for a great price. But I just found out today there's a catch....they want me to take in their 5 adult hens too. Two hens are silkies. Don't know the breed of the others but they were bigger. They are moving and selling all their animals (horses and chickens).

I believe they purchased all their hens as chicks from a local breeder. They are all 2 yrs old. They have had a very large living quarters between their 12 x 5 coop and then a 100 ft x 60 ft caged run. The run had mostly a gravel floor.

What are the risks of taking in these hens and incorporating them with my 5 young hens? I had planned to really clean out this coop and cover the inside with paint to eliminate disease risk. But taking in his hens too is another story.

Do you think a 12x5 ft coop (looks like the inside is 6x5) is big enough for 10 hens? It has 5 nesting boxes.

We were probably going to attach some kind of caged run over grass (may producer's pride, etc). We have plenty of land for all the chickens but the hawks are a problem for free range.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have a secondary coop practically identical to that. It is big enough really for only 5-6 chickens or less. It would perfect for your 5 pullets. I learned long ago not to take birds from someone else. They can be carriers of some diseases if they have ever been exposed at a previous home. How old are the hens? They will probably need to be introduced slowly between fencing to your birds, or yours will be possibly pecked and hurt. Or it could go smoothly. If you are planning to have a large flock, you may want to take the money and build your own larger coop and run. A covered run is nice during bad weather or if there is a predator, if the chickens have to stay fenced in. If you do take the coop and the birds, things may go well, but you still will need more room, or there would be overcrowding and feather picking. It looks nice, and you could always resell it, or use it as a secondary coop for raising chicks. Mine is on wheels which can be moved, but it is hard to get the chickens out from under those coops if they don’t want to be caught.

 

[Tonyroo]

That's doable, just board up the run and connect it to the coop. That will increase the physical footage for all of them.

 

[farmland1]

I have a secondary coop practically identical to that. It is big enough really for only 5-6 chickens or less. It would perfect for your 5 pullets. I learned long ago not to take birds from someone else. They can be carriers of some diseases if they have ever been exposed at a previous home. How old are the hens? They will probably need to be introduced slowly between fencing to your birds, or yours will be possibly pecked and hurt. Or it could go smoothly. If you are planning to have a large flock, you may want to take the money and build your own larger coop and run. A covered run is nice during bad weather or if there is a predator, if the chickens have to stay fenced in. If you do take the coop and the birds, things may go well, but you still will need more room, or there would be overcrowding and feather picking. It looks nice, and you could always resell it, or use it as a secondary coop for raising chicks. Mine is on wheels which can be moved, but it is hard to get the chickens out from under those coops if they don’t want to be caught.

 

[farmland1]

I have a secondary coop practically identical to that. It is big enough really for only 5-6 chickens or less. It would perfect for your 5 pullets. I learned long ago not to take birds from someone else. They can be carriers of some diseases if they have ever been exposed at a previous home. How old are the hens? They will probably need to be introduced slowly between fencing to your birds, or yours will be possibly pecked and hurt. Or it could go smoothly. If you are planning to have a large flock, you may want to take the money and build your own larger coop and run. A covered run is nice during bad weather or if there is a predator, if the chickens have to stay fenced in. If you do take the coop and the birds, things may go well, but you still will need more room, or there would be overcrowding and feather picking. It looks nice, and you could always resell it, or use it as a secondary coop for raising chicks. Mine is on wheels which can be moved, but it is hard to get the chickens out from under those coops if they don’t want to be caught.

"I learned long ago not to take birds from someone else." What about taking in someone else's wood coop? I message the seller and told them I can't take in the hens with the coop. She said she found another farmer to take in her hens and I could just buy the coop. If I hose it out, clean it with vinegar or some chemical, do you think that will be safe? I found the same coop brand new for about $600 more. I'd love to save the money, but if the used coop could likely result in transmission of disease and then vet bills, the lower cost of the coop may be quickly negated.