Fingers crossed guys!

Elegantenvy

Songster
May 20, 2018
104
270
152
Elgin, South Carolina
So. Some of y'all know I lost my rooster jack a couple of weeks ago to my neighbor's dog. I just found an ad on Craigslist for a RIR /barred rock mixed rooster. I've reached out to them for details. If It was to go as planned and I got him, what are the steps I would have to take to integrste him in with my girls? Is it like chicks where they have to be separated for a while first? I'm clueless!
 
First order of business is not integration-it’s quarantine. This rooster could bring all sorts of diseases to your flock, being from an unknown flock. Keep him in solitary confinement for two weeks to see if he comes down with anything, and if not, then begin the integration process. It’s possible that you could plop him in there and he assert himself, but it’s also possible that the girls will gang up on him. Better be safe than sorry and stick him in a run inside their enclosure for a week or two so that they can get used to him. Then let him out with supervision and see how things go. It’ll probably be fine and he can live out a happy life with his ladies :)
 
So. Some of y'all know I lost my rooster jack a couple of weeks ago to my neighbor's dog. I just found an ad on Craigslist for a RIR /barred rock mixed rooster. I've reached out to them for details. If It was to go as planned and I got him, what are the steps I would have to take to integrate him in with my girls? Is it like chicks where they have to be separated for a while first? I'm clueless!
When bringing in new poultry, the first step should always be to quarantine the newcomers while determining whether or not they have any diseases or pests that might endanger your flock.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-long-to-quarantine.1208674/
 
I'm paranoid about biosecurity, and never introduce outside birds here, only chicks from very good hatcheries.
If you visit this bird, see how he's acting with the other birds, and with the flock owner, and especially with you as you walk around him. If he's caged and 'can't be out' that would be a red flag to me about his behavior. Human aggressive jerks don't need a new home, they need freezer camp!
Then actual quarantine is difficult at home! Do your very best, because it really matters. Can he stay at a friend's place, where there are no chickens, for three weeks, so he's not exposing your flock to any issues? I'd treat him with permethrin once or twice for miles and lice anyway, at least.
Then, at your coop but separated by wire for a few days or a week, and introduced during the day outside. Single roosters are the easiest to introduce usually; much easier than single hens!
Good luck,
Mary
 
Here's more info on quarantine.
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
Pretty hard to do in a backyard setting.
All depends on what your risk tolerance is.

There are other risks in taking a male bird.
Biggest is that folks are not always honest about the demeanor of a male bird,
they just want to get rid of it...a lot of those out there.
Things to consider....how old is bird?
Older than a year bird already proven to 'behave' well with hens and humans,
might be great and easy to integrate. Probably the easiest integration.
A young cockerel that's been coddled then turned 'mean' is not a bird you want.
 

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