Integration timing

[Chickstarrs]

I lost a couple of my pullets and am thinking of replacing them before winter so that I have enough eggs over the cold months. Is Fall a good time to integrate? We are getting into the colder wet weather and I do not have a second coop to quarantine. I can put a dog crate inside my present coop for a look, don't touch approach. Just not sure if the weather is an issue? Thanks.

 

[Mike bird nerd]

depends where you are getting the birds from if they are from the hatchery and are only a few days old skip quarantine just make sure that the elder chickens can't get to them if they are older consider putting them in a large animal feeding trough with chicken wire on top for 1-2 weeks to make sure they are healthy if you are getting the bids from a friend of a good breeder you don't have to quarantine them

 

[Chickstarrs]

Any birds that I would consider now would be fully feathered and starting to lay. No small chicks for me at this time of year. The only way to get chickens now is through backyard breeders, which then brings up the concern of quarantine.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I think anything other than winter (where snow may cause all the birds to want to remain indoors, thus reducing the amount of space they have access to) would be fine for integration.

The inability to do quarantine is a different issue. As long as you're willing to risk the possibility of the entire flock becoming infected with something, nothing says you "must" quarantine.

 

[aart]

How did you lose the birds?
Predators, disease, or....?
Integrating now might be fine, if you have plenty of weather sheltered space.
Integration is whole new learning curve....and take weeks to complete.
I'm assuming you are new to chickeneering and haven't done an integration yet.
If, so I would get thru your first winter, then get more chicks in the spring.

Consider biological/medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article


Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[CluckerFamily]

I personally prefer to integrate in the spring. I do a 2-3 week see but no touch integration and it has been very successful for me.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think Aart asked a good question, how did you lose those two. That could play a part in the decision. Is your flock likely to infect e newcomers?

You are planning on POL pullets, fully feathered and able to handle your weather as well as any other grown chicken. From that aspect the weather doesn't matter. What does matter is how much room you have accessible to them when you have bad weather. Your idea for "look but don't touch" should be fine, but when you let them out and try to merge them they need room to avoid the others day and night. I don't know what your facilities look like or if winter or summer will be different. How much available room you have is the important part of this, not the temperatures.

Chicken diseases and parasites can spread by them sharing food or water dishes, pecking in dirt the others have pooped in, by vectors they eat like grubs or grasshoppers, being stung by mosquitoes, or through the air. Your can transmit things between them on your clothes, especially shoes or by using the same feed or water bucket for both flocks or even the same feed storage area. The more you can isolate the two groups the better your quarantine. Very few of us have the facilities for a great quarantine but many manage a partial.

It is possible and really not that uncommon for a flock to develop flock immunities. They can have a disease or parasite and never show symptoms but can still be carriers. Coccidiosis is a good example. This could be your current flock as well as any you bring in. Quarantine doesn't help a lot with these. Where I consider quarantine really important is when the chickens come from a place like a swap, auction, or a show where they have been exposed to other chickens. They can easily pick up something there and bring it into your flock. If you can quarantine them for a month things like that have a chance to show up. If the chickens come from a closed flock, one where they have not been exposed to other chickens, and you trust the owner to recognize a problem and tell you, they have in essence been quarantined where they are, just not by you.

I practice a closed flock. The only way I bring in new chickens is to get hatching eggs or get chicks from an established hatchery. A lot of people regularly get chickens from auctions and swaps. Many of them don't have serious problems. The types of problems they are most likely to have are mites, lice, or worms. if you treat these they are more nuisances than something likely to destroy your flock. But some people do bring home diseases that do destroy their entire flock. It can and does happen. Any time you bring in another chicken you are taking a chance, whether you quarantine or not. Quarantine done right is a great tool to reduce your odds of problems.

So you have two decisions to make. Wil you have enough room available for an integration this winter compared to next spring? Since you cannot quarantine do you trust the source enough to take that risk?

Good luck!

 

[svh]

Any birds that I would consider now would be fully feathered and starting to lay. No small chicks for me at this time of year. The only way to get chickens now is through backyard breeders, which then brings up the concern of quarantine.

The Rural King in my area sells chicks from Hoover year round. Back in August, I was lucky to get 10 three week old chicks, that were kind of "leftover" due to over ordering from the hatchery.

They were put out in the coop in a separate area after a few days, and were smoothly integrated into the flock by 6 weeks.

 

[Daisycar]

I'm here to learn and I jumped on this thread. I have 3 ex batts and I'm planning to add 3 more ex batts to my little flock. The newcomers would came from the same egg industry where I get the old ones. They're fully vaccinated and presumeably healthy as they're monthly controlled by the local health department. Should I have to quarantine them or I can separate them in the coop just to give them the opportunity to know each other?
Thank you in advance.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I'm here to learn and I jumped on this thread. I have 3 ex batts and I'm planning to add 3 more ex batts to my little flock. The newcomers would came from the same egg industry where I get the old ones. They're fully vaccinated and presumeably healthy as they're monthly controlled by the local health department. Should I have to quarantine them or I can separate them in the coop just to give them the opportunity to know each other?
Thank you in advance.

How old will everyone be?