Thank you for your insight! My flock can get a bit rambunctious. The roosters tend to chase one another and I’d hate for the silkies to get trampled in the frenzy. Apparently I collect roosters like charms on a charm bracelet. I’m switching to only color sexed breeds!!!!
I ordered a...
I have had mixed results with introducing silkies into a flock with standard breeds.
If they are raised together, then it can go quite well. In my standard flock, I have two silkie hens that are the bosses.🙂
I personally would not introduce silkies into an established flock. They will likely get...
It's always best to quarantine a new bird before exposing your flock to them.
It is also best to use the 'look don't touch' method of introduction for about a week before allowing new birds to interact with each other. And, yes, you need lots of space for integration.
Pictures of your setup will...
Welcome to BYC!
Quarenteen and Integration are different.
Quarenteen involves housing them in a seperate area for 2 to 4 weeks while you watch for signs of illness. You'll need to be careful with transferring illness via shoes also. I'd tend to the original flock first.
A bird may seem...
If you could make a temporary enclosure for her in the run, that should be okay, but you will probably have a little difficulty integrating the flock. Unless you block off part of the run for Jewel and part of it for the new chicks that you can do the "look don't touch" method.
I just wanted to share my experience on this topic.
I have 2 silkie hens with 6 standards, one of which is a polish. They have all lived harmoniously together until yesterday evening.
I have a separate coop for my other bantams. I had planned to move the two silkie girls to this coop, but since...
That makes sense. I was under the impression that the look don't touchmethod was for physical safety. I guess I underestimated the term "quarantine"
I'm not quite sure I have somewhere to totally isolate her and keep her safe. What would you all suggest.
The duck is coming from a family...
I just noticed this morning that my girls' combs seem to be starting to turn black from the beak up. Their wattles don't look so good either. I have three 1-year-old hens and all three of them seem to have this issue to some degree or another. It must've just started in the past day or so...
Thanks so much! So i have a totally separate coop that I’ve built that I have been raising my reds in and when the weather is nice I haul it out to my other coop and set it beside it and allow them to see each other and interact through the fencing but no contact, they all seem interested in...
Oh, so she is a big baby then! At 8 weeks, you can try to slowly integrate her into your flock, but do it very slowly. Best if you first get her a similar aged buddy, another silkie if you can, to bond with and then try to integrate with the rest of your birds. Do the "look don't touch" method...
Yes she's been in a dog crate and I either keep her in the coop where they lay or put her outside the pen directly facing them. It had been almost a month now and yesterday I let them all out of the pen and her too. I should have done the night introduction like I had done with her the first...
Hello all you wise and experienced soles out there! I finally am getting a young olive egger hen (ameraucana/BCM cross) from a local breeder after waiting for her for a few months. She has been laying, but currently is molting so egg production has slowed down.
I have an existing flock of young...
:welcome
Hope the integration goes well and thanks for joining us!
P.S. I also like the "look/don't touch" method, just be patient as it can take time.
Not sure how much time you're going to have with them, but I prefer the Look don't touchmethod for introductions. Here's a thread that talks about it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/introducing-new-chickens-question-about-look-but-dont-touch.703951/ If that's not practical, then if...
We have an established flock of 6 birds and 1 that we have been trying to integrate for months now.
We have been doing the "look don't touchmethod". She has been in a large dog kennel right up against their run, where their feeder and waterer are located so they get used to her. We also let...
I'm pretty new to ducks too. I'm sure your girl would like a duck friend, our ducks always stick together and talk to each other all the time.
I see a lot on here to use 'look don't touch' method. Where the girls can see each other but can't interact for a while just to get used to each other...