Adding new 6 week old with two other 6 week olds - just dump'em in?

[draines]

Hello-

We have recently joined the ranks of having a home flock, albiet a very small flock of 2, and have decided that we had better add a 3rd in case something should happen to one of the others. We don't want there to be a single hen left. We got two buff orps at 4 weeks old and have only had them 2 weeks. We decided to getanother buff from the same farm, and also about the same 6 week age.

They are currenlty in a BIG box in the house due to freezing temps outdoors, and they have never been in the coop.

The question is...Do we just drop her in with the others? Or is it best to slowly get them acquainted? Since they coop is brand new and none of them have been in it yet...maybe they will all join forces in the new frontier?

Any suggestions would be great! Thanks in advance!
Dan

 

[Odelia]

Do you have any worry about needing to quarantine your new chick? If not I would put them together sooner vs later. Young chicks are more willing to accept new chicks. the older the chicks are the less accepting they are of new birds. If you put them together and there are problems can always separate them.

 

[draines]

I hadn't htought about quarantine....I guess I should do that for at least a couple of days to make sure she is acting ok? They chicks are still on medicated feed as well, which is what the new chick will be put on as well for a few more weeks.

Thanks for the input!

 

[bobbi-j]

If she came from the same farm as the others, they have all been exposed to the same stuff anyway. To properly quarantine, you need about 300' of feet of space between each group of chickens. If they're all in the basement, they're all breathing the same air, and anything airborne has been spread from chicken to chicken. At 6 weeks old, they could be out in the coop with a heat lamp if you feel it's necessary. The last chicks I hatched went out in the coop the next day, with 2 heatlamps over their "brooder" (A piece of 8" high garden edging, fastened together in an oval shape), and plenty of room for them to get away from the heat if necessary. They are fully feathered, aren't they? They should all be fine together in the coop. Maybe move them all in together at night so they all wake up together in a strange place, Might give them something to think about other than picking on your one lone hen.