Introducing a 4 month old rooster

[krisa]

I'm wondering what's the general wisdom re: how best to introduce a new 4 month old rooster to an existing, albeit now small (3) flock of hens, and also about potential diseases. If he has a disease or some other bug, do I need to also worry about the new baby chicks I'm about to get? Obviously I won't be moving the baby chicks out to the big coop and enclosure til they're 4 months old, and I have a separate/adjacent enclosure and coop so I can do a gradual introduction when they're ready. I'm unclear of how much of a risk the new guy poses, and for how long? He's currently in the area I had been planning on putting the chicks when they're 4 months to introduce them to my current hens. Re: the rooster - can I still vaccinate him? If he has something and he's out in the area I'll be moving the new chicks to, does that problem linger even after I treat the issue if there is one? Confused about how pervasive these issues can be, and whether I made a mistake in accepting a newcomer from someone else's flock.

Extra info: I currently have 3 girls left (down from the original 7 thx to various predators). I got the new guy/rooster from a woman I'm in puppy class with who raised this rooster, along with various other chicks she hatched, on her little farm, which at the time seemed pretty low risk.

 

[SavKel&RynKel]

Wait until the hens are very comfortable roosting for the night (like at least 30 minutes after dark) and carry him in. Set him on the roosting branch as an equal to them and walk away. Try to open the coop door before sunrise the next morning so they can come out as soon as their ready.
If he has a disease, you need to worry more about the young chicks than your current flock (just like children and adults) but everyone can get sick from him. Judging by your source I think the odds are in your favor but i don't know what he could be carrying or what you can do to take care of it. And yes he could have left some "virus" in his current pen, so i would sanitize before bringing in the youth. And before you keep the littles from integration you should read aarts article. He integrates in one week!
We waited until three weeks, and started with supervised yard visits. This allowed us to not have to build a coop separation wall. We put up a hardware cloth small fenced area and let the 3 week olds play inside. After two days we left the fence open and watched the mingling...which the larger birds still chase the littles off for food, but they all walked into the coop together on day 4 and have been sleeping together ever sense.

 

[krisa]

Interesting! Thanks for all your input. I'd never heard of integrating little chicks so soon with hens, but am intrigued by your approach! Do you happen to have a link to the article you reference?

PS - you're in the Bay Area? I lived there for a while around the time of the boom/bust. Love it out there. I imagine you're in the East Bay if you have chickens? Though I did hear a rooster crowing when on a friend's balcony in the Mission, which I was pretty shocked by. Where would they keep chickens in the city?! There aren't any yards!

 

[SavKel&RynKel]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
I think i found this two weeks ago?
Definitely a good one.

We're in the east bay, though the local newspaper had an article a month or two ago about chicken owning being the hip new thing... People who have been into the non-gmo business have been picking up tiny flocks in the cities... So i bet your old area has plenty more now!

 

[chickens really]

Hello...You have a lot going on..First off young Cockerels are just that..Young teens.
The Hens won't readily accept him till he is mature..He will need to woo and win over the Hens.
Adding Chicks should be done in look no touch pens so they get used to each other for a few weeks...

 

[chickens really]

Also about Disease transfer it's a given anytime you add in new Birds..All Chickens carry some form of disease that symptoms come out during stress..

 

[RWise]

My big rooster (Phatass) has been over the flock since he was 4 months old. The big red guy got killed and he stepped in and took over. (there were other cocks that did not step up) He did not mate them until he was about 9 months old and the older girls trained him. Even at the young age of 4 months he would find food and give it to the girls, call warnings etc..( I did not have to integrate him he was hatched here.) For a rooster he is a gentleman.
But today I would not put a youngster with the girls, I wait until they calm down a tad, at least 12 months old.
Good luck