I'm not sure where to put this,sorry if it's in the wrong section,I am getting an easter egger and brahma from a person and was wondering if it was alright to put them with my freisian hens and mixed rooster for a while,of course after quarantine,I never done quarantine before since I had not realized how important It was until all my hens got sick from one that I had bought,they all got fixed with medicine,how apart should they be from my main coop and how long should it last?I do not want to have to deal with this and buy expensive medicine once again.Are this breeds agressive or not?because I will have to put them with my freisian for a while and they are agressive and they won't let them go down to the feeder if this hens wont respond to their pecks.This will be temporary just as I build a small coop in which I will move them in with my cockerel for breeding.sorry for the long text,thank you for your responses.
My EE's are not aggressive at all, but it all depends on the bird.No experience with Brahma but from what Iv'e heard they are gentle giants.
I think it is usually for 6 weeks. Always take care of your original chickens first, then the new ones. Be very careful that the new chickens are down wind from your current flock. No dust, dander, or feathers from the new flock should be able to blow towards the original flock. Treating the new flock for all parasites is also a good idea.
I think people need to remember it is always the incumbent ones that are aggressive to the newcomers, the opposite is not as common.
that's why I haven't gotten them,I have 2 10 week old cockerels in a cage inside the coop,they been in there since they hatched and was thinking of putting them in the coop and putting the hens in the cage but I'm pretty sure if the hens and older cockerel had the chance to peck at them they still would!,the person I bought the freisians said they were pure bred but I'm thinking they are mixed with a more aggressive breed of chicken. would 30 feet away be enough?
If the wind tends to go from your existing poultry towards the ones.... that might be ok. Just remember that lots of disease can he on the dander, so that has to stay and not blow around. This is also why it is so important to feed and water them last... and clean up well, wearing different shoes in the quarantine area is also a good idea.
Diseases and parasites can spread by them sharing the same dirt or scratching dirt into adjacent runs, sharing food or water containers, vectors like mosquitoes, grasshoppers, grubs, snails, and many others, or by blowing in the wind. You can carry diseases or parasites on your clothing (especially shoes), by using the same buckets to carry food and water to each group, or dipping different buckets into the same feed container. Some flocks develop what are called flock immunities. They have a disease or parasite that they can give to other chickens but have developed an immunity to it themselves. Coccidiosis is a good example but there are others. No matter how long you quarantine them they don't show symptoms. This can be your current flock as easily as it can be your new chickens. Your current chickens may make your new ones sick. Quarantine is a powerful tool when used correctly. The problem is that most of us can't do a real good quarantine, we just don't have the facilities. Knowing how diseases and parasites are spread set up the best quarantine you can. It probably won't be perfect but it will be better than nothing. If these new birds have been in a closed flock where they have not been exposed to other birds for over a month, if the person taking care of them would recognize a parasite or disease, and if they are honest enough to tell you if they know anything the birds have basically been in quarantine, just not at the new place or under your eyes. To me, quarantine is not that important for these birds but if they come from an auction or chicken swap where they have been exposed to new birds the risk is much higher. Most people quarantine for 30 days. Some diseases can take longer than that to show up, sometimes months, but 30 days will catch most of them. To me it's a case of doing the best you can. Perfection usually doesn't exist in real life.