Bringing two flocks together

[ZMamagoose]

Hello!

I wasn't sure where to post this, but we had a coop fire this winter and lost all but a hen and rooster - who have been living in our basement for the remainder of the winter. Needless to say they want out and I want them out we have a friend willing to give us six or seven hens so that we can rebuild our flock, we are fixing up the coop this weekend and hoping to put them back out there now that it's warming up.

My question is how do I bring them together?!
My birds haven't been in the coop for about 2 months, So would it be safe to put them all in at the same time and let them into the run in the morning since it would be a new area again to them? I have a large dog kennel I could put the rooster and hen in and let them stay with the new birds in the coop to get used to each other?

Any advice would be so helpful, thank you!

 

[DobieLover]

Just tossing them all in together is a bad idea.
Ideally, you would quarantine the new flock for a month away from your current flock to make sure that the new birds don't have an underlying illness that the stress of moving will bring out.
Do you have space to keep them separate?
How well do you know the birds you are taking?
If you know the new birds are all healthy, you could put the new, larger sub-flock in the coop and keep your current smaller sub-flock in a smaller area of the coop and run.
You want both sub-flocks to be able to see each other but not touch each other for several weeks.
Then you would release all of them to a large open area to start to co-mingle.
You need lots of space, resources and time to successfully integrate two flocks.
Good luck.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think you could throw them all together. As even to your original pair, the coop/run is going to be "strange" to them, after spending the winter in the basement.

Before you add anything, make sure that you have various levels in your run. Have some platforms, some mini walls, some roosts, places where birds can get away from each other, and out of sight from each other. Set up multiple feed stations and water place, each out of sight of a bird at one feed station.

Then I would add the birds. If I take your post correctly, these are all mature birds. The rooster will be thrilled to see everyone, and the hens will all be in a strange place. Put them together in the late afternoon, let them scuffle it out, and go to roost. Do not shut the pop up door, so that birds can go to either the coop or run as needed.

I think you will have a flock in less than 3 days.

Mrs K

 

[ZMamagoose]

I think you could throw them all together. As even to your original pair, the coop/run is going to be "strange" to them, after spending the winter in the basement.

Before you add anything, make sure that you have various levels in your run. Have some platforms, some mini walls, some roosts, places where birds can get away from each other, and out of sight from each other. Set up multiple feed stations and water place, each out of sight of a bird at one feed station.

Then I would add the birds. If I take your post correctly, these are all mature birds. The rooster will be thrilled to see everyone, and the hens will all be in a strange place. Put them together in the late afternoon, let them scuffle it out, and go to roost. Do not shut the pop up door, so that birds can go to either the coop or run as needed.

I think you will have a flock in less than 3 days.

Mrs K

They will all be mature birds, thanks for the advice!