dding new

[laura625]

I have been reading and searching, but haven't figured this out.
We currently have One Speckled Sussex rooster , a dozen assorted hens and 6 4 wk old chicks.
I would like to have 12 or so more hens and another rooster.

My question is, what is the best way to go about this?

I am assuming that a flock of 30 hens or so, would be big enough to accommodate two roosters, but, I don't know how the roosters would share or divi up the hens, if you see what i mean.
And I don't know how best to add the new birds.

I Understand that some roosters will get along and others wont, but, How should I proceed to maximize the chances of success?

Should I get hens first and the rooster last? Establish the new hens and roo as a separate flock, and then see if the 2 flocks blend? Would it be best to add a very young rooster?...

We have room to keep them separated through a quarantine and introduction period, but I was hoping they'd eventually be able to range and roost together.
Thanks for reading, and TIA for Any responses.

 

[NYREDS]

The males will fight, no way to avoid it. In most cases one will establish dominance & they will coexist more or less peacefully after that. I've never quarantined so if it was me I'd just put them together & let them go at it.

 

[speckledhen]

The reason NYReds never quarantines is that he buys birds from breeders who cull for illness like himself, not folks who know zilch about chicken diseases and treat with antibiotics for everything from snotty noses to wheezing and blood slinging from their beaks.

Quarantine. Please! All you have to do to convince yourself to do so is to read in Diseases and Emergencies for awhile. Trust me. There are plenty of people here who didn't quarantine and have lost their entire flocks because of it.


I don't have much advice for putting adult roosters together because I have never tried that. The ones I have who were not raised together fight at the fence so much, I figure one would be dead if I put them together.

 

[laura625]

Thank s both of you.
I think it's a great idea to read "emergencies and diseases" forums, because it is easy to get too casual when you have been lucky. So far we Have been lucky.
I am very new at chickens and want to start out with good habits. And I'm too new to evaluate the sources thoroughly, so I am Definitely planning to quarantine.
I guess I'll have a chance to see how it looks when the roos are separate before I throw them in together.
Anyone else, please feel free to put in your two cents. I'm still looking for so, there's time before a rooster arrives.

 

[dawg53]

Quarantining and biosecurity go hand in hand. Quarantine new birds for at least 4-6 weeks. This is normally enough time for most respiratory diseases to show themselves. During that timeframe you can also inspect them for external parasites and treat for internal parasites and any other abnormalties.
It would probably be best to keep 2 flocks seperated. Once you merge them there will be pecking order issues among the hens, possible overcrowding, a bloodbath between the roosters...a stressed flock in general including loss of egg production. Your decision though.

 

[speckledhen]

Thank s both of you.
I think it's a great idea to read "emergencies and diseases" forums, because it is easy to get too casual when you have been lucky. So far we Have been lucky.
I am very new at chickens and want to start out with good habits. And I'm too new to evaluate the sources thoroughly, so I am Definitely planning to quarantine.
I guess I'll have a chance to see how it looks when the roos are separate before I throw them in together.
Anyone else, please feel free to put in your two cents. I'm still looking for so, there's time before a rooster arrives.

You sound like a person with a great deal of old fashioned common sense. I think you'll do very well with your flock. Welcome to BYC and best of luck with the integration of your new birds. Let us know if we can help further.

 

[laura625]

aw shucks. Thanks.
I am getting so much from everyones experience and knowlege here. and info from this site. Who knew how much FUN chickens could be.??!!
I think I am hooked.

Dawg, thanks for pointing out the stress that sort of thing puts the chickens through. I will proceed with caution with that in mind. Short of 'bloodbath' I can seperate the flocks if the pecking order problems etc seem to not resolve quickly.