Addition to my flock

[PolarBear]

I had 10 yellow buff orpington hens, 1 yellow buff orpngton rooster, and 1 bantam hen. Yesterday I bought 10 rhode island red hens and 5 silver lace winedttes. There is very clear segregation and discrimination between the 3 breeds, but I have been keeping an eye on them and they seem to be learning to get along. I love the color differences in my run now. I'm also pretty fond of th extra eggs I'm getting. I got 15 eggs today instead of the 6-7 that I've been getting. I love giving eggs to the elderly widows that live close by. They are always so appreciative. I had to go about 45 minutes away to get the new chickens. I found a co-op in the other town with laying pellets for about $8/bag. I was having to pay $12/bag here. I think it will be worth driving up once a month and stocking up on feed.

 

[fiberart57]

Congratulations on the new arrivals.

There will be dissention among the flock with the introduction of new birds as they have to establish a new pecking order. It can get bloody and fatal at times. Sometimes a good idea is to have two separate runs next to each other for a while so they can get used to each other, then merge them. This is not to be confused with quarantining.

It might be a bit late to say this, but it's a wise idea - a very wise idea - to quarantine new birds. Despite excellent references, some chickens carry diseases. Some birds that look healthy actually have an illness that may not show up for a few days. By then it's too late and your entire flock is infected.

Quarantining implies that you keep the new birds away, at least 100 feet if not more, from the old birds and they don't swap air space for thirty days at least. Then you can work on merging the flocks.

I would sure keep an eye on the lone bantam because she's likely to get picked on.

Good luck,
Mary

 

[PolarBear]

Thanks Mary. I wish that I had the facilities to do this, but I don't. I know it's far from being any kind of guarantee, but I really trust the man that I bought them from. There are only 2 people that I buy chickens from, and they woud never knowingly sell me sick birds. Of course, there is always the chance that they would unknowingly sell me sick birds, but without a place to quarantine them I took a chance.