Integrating 2-3 hens into a mixed flock of 180

[Nksg75]

A little back ground:

I was gifted 2 remaining hens from my neighbor (3rd hen hasn’t been caught yet) who has had enough of seeing his chickens killed over and over by either dogs or raccoons.
my neighbors built a chicken coop a few years ago, and unfortunately only used chicken wire around the perimeter, so as you probably can guess they have lost many chickens and seeing this over and over again, they hate coming home to seeing them killed. Our chickens coops are situated close to each other and both of us free-range. My neighbor is now going to disassemble his chicken coop, hopefully soon, so when I let these girls out they won’t have their old place to return to.

I have had chickens for years and know that I need to do the see but not touch for awhile, however I have about 180 chickens, and at what point(# of chickens) do they really know that these hens are not part of the flock?
Is there a magical number of chickens that when you bring in a few more, the others just don’t realize that they are new?
i am not really worried about isolating the new hens because anything they have/had my flock has/had as well.

any advice for how long to leave these girls in the see but no touch area?

 

[LaFleche]

I would treat them for external and internal parasites first and keep them separated for 3-3 weeks.

 

[Nksg75]

I would treat them for external and internal parasites first and keep them separated for 3-3 weeks.

Thanks, I did worm them already, and I will treat them for external parasites.
since our chickens have had contact with each other for over a year or more, I am concerned about them having anything my chickens don’t already have.
i forgot to post in the original one That I am the one who gave them a few of my “cackle surprise” chicks and since one is a Americana (sp?) I know she is one of the chicks I gave our neighbor.

 

[LaFleche]

Thanks, I did worm them already, and I will treat them for external parasites.
since our chickens have had contact with each other for over a year or more, I am concerned about them having anything my chickens don’t already have.
i forgot to post in the original one That I am the one who gave them a few of my “cackle surprise” chicks and since one is a Americana (sp?) I know she is one of the chicks I gave our neighbor.

That will make quarantine almost obsolete, but I would still have them in the "see but no touch" area for a week or two to give them time to recover from the loss of their flock and adjust to the new surroundings and new flock mates.

 

[Nksg75]

Sorry, I meant to say that i wasn’t concerned about them getting anything from the hens that they didn’t already have themselves

 

[LaFleche]

since our chickens have had contact with each other for over a year or more

Does this mean they met and ranged together?

 

[Nksg75]

yes and no. They have met, but since we both had roosters, not really ranged together so much.
mine would spend more time over there than his would over at our place. They would venture over, only to be met by my sheer numbers, and would not hang around too long.

 

[Nksg75]

This is kind of what I am trying to understand…
I thought that since I have 180 in the flock that the others wouldn’t really know that they weren’t always there.

 

[LaFleche]

This is kind of what I am trying to understand…
I thought that since I have 180 in the flock that the others wouldn’t really know that they weren’t always there.

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I read this too, but also about findings stating that because in larger than ~40-50 bird flocks their stress levels will be higher because they continuously meet inividuals they don't recognize and subsequently they will form smaller groups within the large flocks to be more comfortable and lower stress levels.

 

[LaFleche]

Maybe let them explore the main coop after your flock is left out to range. This way they will have some time alone to get aquainted with their new home without being stressed by the inhabitants. And after a few hours to get comfortable open the coop and let them range with the others.