I have a few questions I'm a newbie

[Erock1234]

Hi

I have a few questions if anyone might be able to help. I have a few chickens I have 3 rir one is a roo, 3 Australorps. I had them for a few weeks and decided I wanted more so i bought one leghorn, 2 plymoth rocks i think ones a roo, and 2 Ameraucana (i think they are orange and the guy said one lays green eggs)

OK I didn't want to throw them all in on account I heard two roos means trouble so i kept the pair of rocks out of the mix and cooped all the others and put the rocks in their own digs. well today i let them all out, i figured if they were going to fight I was gonna be there rather than while i'm at work. besides neither of the roos have spurs so whats the worst that can happen. well the hens did their thing but other than no problems until time to get them back up needless to say i couldn't catch the newbies lol. Well i went to church and left the doors open I knew my flock would stay in until I closed and opened the door again, and to my surprise the two orange went into the little coop and all the rest went into the big coop. Now the questions

1. I have to go to work tomorrow is it ok to leave them be in the coops and runs they went to?

2. the leghorns sleeping in one of the laying boxes rather than perching and she's smaller than the rest is this ok behavior?

3. One of the rocks ( I hope this don't sound silly) but it seems at times she has gills or something the side of her head pokes out is this a he?

4. I have 4 laying boxes in the big coop and one small in the other is this sufficient for them?

5 (lastly sorry for all of the questions at once) I'm building a new coop this weekend 4x6x6 (LxWxH) how many is enough in this coop?

Thank you ahead of time for any help

 

[PunkinPeep]

1. If they're not fighting, i wouldn't worry.

2. Chickens sleeping in nest boxes will result in poopy eggs. (The sleeping chickens poop while they sleep. Then a hen lays an egg in poop.) When i have a night time interloper in the nest box, i move them before i shut them up for the night. But yes, it is kind of normal for someone low in the pecking order to look for a hiding place.

3. We probably need a picture for this one. If you post in the "what gender is this" thread, folks will tell you what it is.

4. Probably.

5. The rule of thumb (which is only a guideline) is to have a minimum of 4 square feet per full grown chicken inside the coop PLUS ten square feet per full grown chicken in the run. By this rule, a 4x6 coop should hold no more than 6 chickens.

 

[MissJenny]

I don't see how old these birds are... nor do I see where they came from. Did all these birds come from one place, or are the new ones from some hatchery or provider different from your older ones. The reason I ask that is there is no mention that the newer birds were quarantined prior to being mixed in with the original flock.

If they all came from the same breeder then I'd say quarantined is less necessary. If the new ones came from a certified hatchery then they are likely safe and healthy -- but if they came from an unknown source -- a flea market, swap meet, feed store, you might be introducing more trouble than fighting roos. I don't think it can be stressed enough how important it is to quarantine new birds.

There is a search line in the upper right corner -0- you might want to search "quarantine."

Jenny

 

[Erock1234]

@ PunkinPeep Thank you very much Inow i won't be worrying about my birds while i work today

@MissJenny I do apologize i did not know those were factors I really am a newbie, but I'm learning. I do not know ages of any all i know is the astras are laying, and the americanas are, the rest are not yet but will be soon, the rir roo just started crowing about 3 weeks ago. I did have them separate for a day but I'm sure thats not long enough.

The first batch was given to me from a guy at work, they raise chickens for both purposes and had some good layers but they wanted just rirs. the second bunch I bought them local from a guy that a friend (who just got out of it bred for many years) is neighbors with and sold everything to. he let me pick anything i wanted out of his flocks (about 40-50 I'd guess). But when i get home from work I will more than definitely look at quarenteening thank you so much for your time and help

 

[Wheels]

Welcome.

 

[MissJenny]

The reason to quarantine them has to do with the trading back and forth of diseases -- I've seen so many sad stories here where people inadvertently introduced diseases to their flock via a single bird from a seemingly safe background. One experienced owner here lost dozens of birds.

The other term to look up is bio-security. Let's say you visit a swap meet but decide to not buy anything...still, you've walked around and looked at birds, handled birds, and then go home. The germs on your hands and clothes, the poop on your shoes can contaminate your flock. Bio-security is crucial.

I'm all for learning the hard way -- but some ways are harder than others.

And I should have said this sooner --

Jenny