Frizzle: How old does he/she look? Will he/she live well with my two Plymouth rocks?

[plymouthrox]

Hi! I have just found a Frizzle Chicken on the side of the road a few days ago! I have been putting up signs and am keeping in touch with the Humane Society but with no luck. It seems I am adding to my flock (as long as it turns out to be a hen). Can anyone with frizzles or familiar with the breed tell me how old she looks? I have two Plymouth Rocks who are 15 weeks, so not yet laying eggs. Will this frizzle get along with my Plymouth rocks? If so when can I introduce them? Thanks!

 

[plymouthrox]

 

[junebuggena]

It's hard to guess the age of a mature bird. Guessing the age of a chick can be done as a rough estimate. Most chicks will feather in at a predictable rate. For example, most 2 week old chicks will be mostly feathered in the wings, but still completely downy on their backs. By six weeks, they are usually completely feathered except for the head and neck. Once a bird is fully feathered and full grown, they don't keep changing week to week. It makes it impossible to even estimate an age. A one year old hen won't look any different at two or three years of age.
As long as he seems healthy, you might try putting him in a crate inside the coop/run for a few days. The idea is that they can see, hear, and interact, but not have any actual contact, as a getting to know you phase. Then let the new bird have access to the run with the other birds in the evening. If everything goes well, without any major pecking order fights, then you should be good to let them spend the night in the coop. Keep a close eye on them throughout the next few days though. If pecking order fights start to get to the point where one bird is actually bleeding, intervene immediately.
If it is a hen, it may take several weeks to start laying. If it starts crowing, it's probably a rooster.

 

[plymouthrox]

thanks! this helped a bunch!

 

[drumstick diva]

Beautiful bird but, I think you should quarantine her for a period of time before even attempting to integrate her to your flock. She could have worms or mites, or been exposed to some disease. It is much better to be safe than sorry.

Junebuggena is right re: trying to access age. Unfortunately chickens don't have teeth, so that method is out.

 

[junebuggena]

Beautiful bird but, I think you should quarantine her for a period of time before even attempting to integrate her to your flock. She could have worms or mites, or been exposed to some disease. It is much better to be safe than sorry.

Junebuggena is right re: trying to access age. Unfortunately chickens don't have teeth, so that method is out.

x2 Any new bird should be kept separate until you are certain there are no health problems or parasites that could be spread to the rest of the flock.