HELP! Rescue chickens invade the Chickenarium!

Rachel'sFlock

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Otis, Oregon ~ Chicken People Since 5/10
I have a small flock of 6 13-week-old Australorps. I have had them since they were a week old, and they are a sweet, well-mannered group. They have wonderful personalities and get along well.
Today, my non-chickening husband brought home 2 "rescue" chickens of a breed (or 2 breeds) I haven't even seen before. They are both less than half the size of my girls. They have super-fluffy feet and the roo (yeah, I know...just what I need) has a very well developed comb. He seems fully grown. He is hugely fluffy and his feathers seem to grow out in every direction. He is sort of darkish brown, with some coppery highlights. The other appears to be a girl, she is a tan or buff sort of color, her feathers lie down, but she also has fluffy feet.
I have no choice but to keep them in the same coop with the others, as I only have the one.
My girls have been a bit stand-offish but not agressive to the new guys.
Anybody have any advice on how to deal with these newcomers?
They seem healthy, if a bit dirty and out of sorts from being in a cage all day, waiting for a new family to come along.
Any thoughts on what breed they are, will they need different food when the girls go on laying feed, if the girl will lay eggs, and what to expect from this pint-sized roo in a room full of Amazon Aussie women???
HELP!
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Thanks for being the only people I can imagine asking me to help with this situation!
Update: OK pics.
This is both of them:
58241_fluffy_choooks_002.jpg


Him:
58241_fluffy_choooks_007.jpg


Her (???):
58241_fluffy_choooks_004.jpg
 
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The black one kinda looks like a frizzle. The white one, don't know about breed, but looks rooish.

Since you don't know their history, I would quarantine them for 30 days in a makeshift shelter to make sure that they don't have any diseases prior to putting them with your flock. There is a sticky (I just read it today) on the emergencies or the managing your flock thread that talks about all the reasons why this is important. You may want to check it out.

By the way, congrats! It sounds like you have won your husband over to being a chickener, and they look like beautiful birds!!!
 
Thanks so much for the tips, sheaviance1 I know quarantining them is the way to go, and I will get right over there and read up on it.
A frizzle, eh? I never even heard of them! I have only really studied laying and dual purpose birds, and these seem rather ornamental to me. But I am hoping someone will recognize them and fill me in on some details!
Thanks again, and many blessings!
 
there are too many fluffy feathery birds to guess what they are without pics. they should have been quarentined (however its spelled) but too late for that, and might have been better if you snuck them in the coop at night but too late for that too lol. at this late hour you just need to sit tight and see if all the chooks adjust together. don't think I'm critisizing I made the same mistake I put a full grown chicken in with my chicks without a quarentine, I was lucky It was a healthy bird with an injured leg no disease, My instinct was to trust the woman giving me the chicken.
 
I completely understand, tuesday's chicks. I have sort of done exactly that, in terms of trusting my instinct about the woman who gave them to us. She seemed like a good Mom to me, which I know does not "magically" protect my girls from their germs, but I do sense they are healthy birds.
I did pray over each and every one of them, (new and old) for harmonious interaction and protection from each other's germs.
I knew I was breaking every law of chicken husbandry by mixing an old and new flock, but I am hopeful, and appreciate your sharing!
I just couldn't bear to keep them in a cardboard box until tonight or when I might be able to slap together some kind of safe place for them. We live in coyote country, so housing must be secure, and I don't have anything like that to offer them.
Thanks again for the thoughts!
Bright Blessings
 
I agree, he looks like a cochin frizzle, the other appears to be a d'uccle but may be a roo. The quarantine is also a good idea, when i introduce new members to my flock i keep them in a cage where they can see each other for about a week before letting them mingle.
 
Frizzle is the type of feather not a breed. There are several breeds tho that do carry genes for frizzle or silky feather type. I think the other one is a roo also. But they are very nice, maybe they won't hardly crow at all.
 
Update:
Have rehomed the little fluffies to a farm out by my sister in law! This is the best news, as my ladies are not at all interested in making new friends!
Thanks again for everybody's ideas, thoughts and kind words.
Bright Blessings!
 

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