Getting new chicks maybe, can I put them in with my others?

[chicken-owner-31]

I have the opportunity to get some Dominques and Welsummer chicks that are between 10 and 14 days old for $1 each! I've been wanting some egg layers, so I figured a couple of these would be a great start.

I currently have nearly 4 week old bantam cochins and silkies in the brooder, but there is room for a few more. Since they will probably be close to the same size anyway at this point, can I just put them in together or do I need to get a seperate one? I can partition this one off if need be.

Also, these new chicks were hatched in an incubator I'm guessing because the pics showed them in a brooder. Do I need to worry about disease from introducing the new ones? I don't HAVE to get these, and I certainly do not want to hurt my current babies in any way.

Thanks!

 

[M@M@2four]

I wouldn't! First the new chicks need to be quarantined for atleast a few weeks. Secondly, silkies have a soft spot on their heads--if pecked there, can cause neurological damage and other breeds WILL do that to silkies. I don't ever let my silkies with my other birds for that very reason. If they're hatch mates, I'll raise them in a brooder together, but once they've reached about 2-3 months, I separate. Good luck!!!

 

[PunkinPeep]

Since these are not brand new babies from a hatchery, it is definitely safest to quarantine them before integration.

I don't raise bantams of any kind, but if we were talking standards of different ages, i wouldn't hesitate to integrate them after quarantine.

 

[chicken-owner-31]

Ok, quarantine it shall be if I get these! How far away would they need to be from each other? I can only brood in the house since it's so cold (my hubby is going to love me!) And a couple of weeks should be good enough? They are not going to live together when it comes to that anyway, I have two different coops and runs set up. Three actually!

I have never heard of Silkies having soft spots that get pecked before. ??? I was planning on keeping the cochins and silkies together. I figure if they are raised together, they should be ok.....right?????

Ugh, maybe I will just wait and get some grown birds at the auction so they can just go out in the coop.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quarantine should be at least 4 weeks. The reason being, if they were exposed to some horrible disease, they may not show any symptoms for 4-6 weeks. They need to be not sharing air space. So if both flocks are inside the house, i would want them to be in completely different rooms with doors in between. Although quarantining a flock inside the house, with another flock inside the house is going to get complicated.

 

[sourland]

Cochins and silkies should do fine together. Rethink the idea about auction birds. Birds sold at auction have basically been exposed to every bird and every infectious agent that passed through that auction. They are a potential source of every disease known to fowl. Why not wait till spring and then get chicks from a hatchery or breeder? If the chicks you are thinking about getting are from a private breeder they may be fine. If from a "bird jockey", run as fast as you can. Find out if the source of these birds has a NPIP certified flock.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Good advice. To be safest, after the month quarantine, you should put one of yours near or with the new ones for a couple of weeks. If the new ones are carriers but have no symptoms, only one of yours will get sick instead of the whole flock.

I read recently on here of a fellow who did the month quarantine then put them all together. Ended up losing his entire collection, over 100 birds, and leaving his coops empty for a year.

 

[chicken-owner-31]

Hmmmm, lots to think about. I dunno what you mean by a bird jockey? Someone who is basically a puppy mill for chickens?

So if I were to get an order from a hatchery, I could be confident enough to at least house them in the same room? Adding to the flock is more difficult than it seems.

Now I'm a little worried about putting my babies outside next to the Cxs when the time comes. They haven't shown any illness, but I have no idea where they came from. They are about 3 months old right now. My babies won't be sharing the same space, but they will be within seeing distance of each other. Should I worry about that as well?

 

[sourland]

A "bird jockey" would be someone who buys birds for resale. Sort of like an individual auction house with all of the same inherent problems.