Introducing a new chicken

[Mrs. K]

As for getting the new bird in with the others I think there are three parts to it. Chickens hate strange places and changes.

The main coop will be strange, the new bird and the main flock KNOWS this bird should not be there. The first thing I do, is let original birds out and lock them out of the coop/run. Lock the new girl in the set up. This allows her to explore the area without being chased. They can find hide outs, feed bowls, explore the coop. This gives confidence. Feed along the fence line. Near dark, put her back where she was, let the others back in. Repeat the next day.

Third day, leave one bird in the set up with her, the others out. There will be a little bluster but should settle as it is one on one. Repeat this with the same bird two to three days.

Then let everyone out in the yard, if all goes well, they should all go to roost together.

It is a lot of dinking around, but you don’t have to build anything. I have had good luck with it.

Mrs K

 

[silkiemama002]

I agree Mrs K, this is a lot of trouble for chicks to be having at this age. Makes me question the conditions they were hatched into.

The original three were hatched right here in our home
They have been absolutely cherished ever since, and I've done everything I possibly can to keep them safe and healthy no matter the cost! My pets mean more to me than most humans I have been researching everything under the sun to be the best chicken parent I can haha

The vet told me they have a great diet - which I was proud of LOL. They get non medicated feed (with plant phenols that prevent coccidiosis), supplemented with additional liquid vitamins twice a week. On top of their regular pellets - which they have all day - they get a dampened bowl of pellets in the morning with preventative herbs mixed in (I find the herbs get picked around in the dried pellets, but eaten in the dampened). They get oregano, thyme and garlic as natural coccidiostat, as well as cinnamon, marjoram, rosemary, chilli, and dill. I mix up what they get each day but they always get oregano.

They also get a bowl of leafy greens and other veggies like peas, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, cabbage, beetroot etc... whatever I buy that week for them. Treats of mealworms, a couple of sunflower seeds or pepitas, and oats. I also make frozen ice cubes with veggies / a few berries for them to pick at when it's hot. I really like to think they have a very healthy and happy home! Not sure if you saw the photos I added, but I like to think this is a nice environment for them too

I'm not fully sure about the new girls original home though, it was a large farm with a lot of other chooks. Although everyone looked healthy when we visited! We drove two hours to pick her up.

this is a lot of trouble for chicks to be having at this age.

The only trouble I have had with my originals is the one little guy having the bloody poop which turned out to be roundworm. The vet said he could have picked it up easily as they're free ranging and probably eating worms etc. We have a lot of worms in our yard, and I saw him eat a huge one weeks ago so it kind of makes sense... otherwise she said he looks super healthy!

I honestly don't know much about deworming at this age, but you should probably be doing some sort of treatment, natural or otherwise.

They were all wormed last week with the wormout gel the vet suggested. They were also treated for lice/mites when the new girl was, and had a preventative dose of cocciprol in the bloody poop/roundworm scare, followed by a top up of vitamins a couple of days after...

Back to quarantine, if you think you're seeing symptoms of something I'd treat for what it may appear to be, but use a broad spectrum drug. You wouldn't want to release her after all that time having not done so and then find out you needed to, and then be back to square one. But I am not sure about dosage for her age/size.

After Mrs K's advice, I brought the new gal into the yard in her own run three days ago. She did 3 weeks to the day in quarantine...I also found it very hard like you, and I didnt originally plan to do as long but after she had mites I freaked out!

I would also recomend putting on some music for her during the day. I've noticed that helps with their spirits. I've been in this situation before with a single chick. Test this by just putting on something like light classical, country music, holiday music, oldies, choral singing etc, and see how she responds.

I did have music or the tv on for her almost all day every day. So hopefully she enjoyed that! She is super happy now apart from the fact she can't play with anyone (and they don't want to be her friend yet lol)

Ivermectin is a broadspectrum so if there's any secondary illness/ailment it covers a range of them. I don't know if it's available to you where you are or not. I also am not saying that you should treat with it either, just sharing what I'm doing with mine presently because I already have it on hand and I know the dosage.

I have been looking into ivermectin, as I have read this in so many forums and groups... it sounds like a something worth having on hand! You mentioned you are in the pro ivermectin camp, I haven't read anything negative about it yet... I don't think?! Is there a reason people are anti it?

Thank you for sharing Really appreciate you taking the time to write all this... sorry for my long reply too! ha

 

[silkiemama002]

As for getting the new bird in with the others I think there are three parts to it. Chickens hate strange places and changes.

The main coop will be strange, the new bird and the main flock KNOWS this bird should not be there. The first thing I do, is let original birds out and lock them out of the coop/run. Lock the new girl in the set up. This allows her to explore the area without being chased. They can find hide outs, feed bowls, explore the coop. This gives confidence. Feed along the fence line. Near dark, put her back where she was, let the others back in. Repeat the next day.

Third day, leave one bird in the set up with her, the others out. There will be a little bluster but should settle as it is one on one. Repeat this with the same bird two to three days.

Then let everyone out in the yard, if all goes well, they should all go to roost together.

It is a lot of dinking around, but you don’t have to build anything. I have had good luck with it.

Mrs K

This is REALLY helpful, thank you so much! I will be sure to follow this to the T.

Should this be done later down the track, i.e. after a week or so of being in her own run solo (I am assuming so) or is this a sooner rather than later thing?

I actually followed a bit of a similar process when I moved the original babies into their coop... I had it ready for about a month before they moved in, and just kept sitting near it and calling them over for tidbits, then moving on to calling them but throwing the treats in onto the coop floor. Leaving the door open for exploring in the day etc... it was a very proud moment for me when they went for their first stroll in on their own LOL

I had no issues from them when they finally went in for the first night... I on the other hand panicked over it all night and watched them on the coop cam every five minutes

 

[AGeese]

The original three were hatched right here in our home
They have been absolutely cherished ever since, and I've done everything I possibly can to keep them safe and healthy no matter the cost! My pets mean more to me than most humans I have been researching everything under the sun to be the best chicken parent I can haha

The vet told me they have a great diet - which I was proud of LOL. They get non medicated feed (with plant phenols that prevent coccidiosis), supplemented with additional liquid vitamins twice a week. On top of their regular pellets - which they have all day - they get a dampened bowl of pellets in the morning with preventative herbs mixed in (I find the herbs get picked around in the dried pellets, but eaten in the dampened). They get oregano, thyme and garlic as natural coccidiostat, as well as cinnamon, marjoram, rosemary, chilli, and dill. I mix up what they get each day but they always get oregano.

They also get a bowl of leafy greens and other veggies like peas, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, cabbage, beetroot etc... whatever I buy that week for them. Treats of mealworms, a couple of sunflower seeds or pepitas, and oats. I also make frozen ice cubes with veggies / a few berries for them to pick at when it's hot. I really like to think they have a very healthy and happy home! Not sure if you saw the photos I added, but I like to think this is a nice environment for them too

I'm not fully sure about the new girls original home though, it was a large farm with a lot of other chooks. Although everyone looked healthy when we visited! We drove two hours to pick her up.



The only trouble I have had with my originals is the one little guy having the bloody poop which turned out to be roundworm. The vet said he could have picked it up easily as they're free ranging and probably eating worms etc. We have a lot of worms in our yard, and I saw him eat a huge one weeks ago so it kind of makes sense... otherwise she said he looks super healthy!


They were all wormed last week with the wormout gel the vet suggested. They were also treated for lice/mites when the new girl was, and had a preventative dose of cocciprol in the bloody poop/roundworm scare, followed by a top up of vitamins a couple of days after...



After Mrs K's advice, I brought the new gal into the yard in her own run three days ago. She did 3 weeks to the day in quarantine...I also found it very hard like you, and I didnt originally plan to do as long but after she had mites I freaked out!


I did have music or the tv on for her almost all day every day. So hopefully she enjoyed that! She is super happy now apart from the fact she can't play with anyone (and they don't want to be her friend yet lol)



I have been looking into ivermectin, as I have read this in so many forums and groups... it sounds like a something worth having on hand! You mentioned you are in the pro ivermectin camp, I haven't read anything negative about it yet... I don't think?! Is there a reason people are anti it?

Thank you for sharing Really appreciate you taking the time to write all this... sorry for my long reply too! ha

My apologies I misread some of what you wrote, might have been a long day for me yesterday.

You sound like a fantastic fowl mom! with your care I trust they are in pretty good hands. You'll gain a lot of experience into what works and what doesn't going the hands on route you are.

Unforunately Ivermectin was highly politicized during 2020 aka the pandemic. I won't go into that because this isn't the forum for it or the topic.

The other angle to this is in regards to those who discorage the use of antiparasitics, antibiotics, and pesticides because of the potiential for resistence (natural immunity) to build up in the environment against them with wide spread use.

This is why I will never use these drugs as "maintenance", I don't want to contribute to any resistence in parasites or bateria. I use it when I feel there is a problem that warrants it and I give the full dosage to make sure the job is done, and I'm not merely exposing whatever it is I am treating with a little bit so that it can possibly survive and adapt to it.

Now if you want to go down the rabbit hole on it, you'll hear all sorts of wonderous claims that I'm not so sure about (particullarly in humans.) But as for chickens Ivermectin is a good broad spectrum as opposed to other more targetted drugs. My personal feeling is, unless I'm near 90% confident in my diagnosis, I will choose a broad spectrum first (when in doubt.)

At minimum it's a good one to have in your fowl first aid kit along with Corid, Enrofloxacin, and Permethrin (if you can afford them.)

I do need to get more into natural methods though. I do sometimes order from https://www.naturesgoodguys.com/

 

[BigBlueHen53]

As for getting the new bird in with the others I think there are three parts to it. Chickens hate strange places and changes.

The main coop will be strange, the new bird and the main flock KNOWS this bird should not be there. The first thing I do, is let original birds out and lock them out of the coop/run. Lock the new girl in the set up. This allows her to explore the area without being chased. They can find hide outs, feed bowls, explore the coop. This gives confidence. Feed along the fence line. Near dark, put her back where she was, let the others back in. Repeat the next day.

Third day, leave one bird in the set up with her, the others out. There will be a little bluster but should settle as it is one on one. Repeat this with the same bird two to three days.

Then let everyone out in the yard, if all goes well, they should all go to roost together.

It is a lot of dinking around, but you don’t have to build anything. I have had good luck with it.

Mrs K

I love this, @Mrs. K ! Any chance of you writing this up as an article? It's a novel approach to integration that could be very helpful, especially when introducing a single chicken into a flock.

 

[Mrs. K]

@ bigbluehen53 How do you create an article? Where do you send it?

 

[Mrs. K]

I love this, @Mrs. K ! Any chance of you writing this up as an article? It's a novel approach to integration that could be very helpful, especially when introducing a single chicken into a flock.

What are the requirements and how do you submit it?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Up at the top of the page, see the little icon that looks like a sheet of paper? Click on that. You'll see!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Pick a category, write your article - include pics if possible, and when you're done, click Submit (I think). You can take as long as you want to work on it, polish it, edit it, etc., before publishing it. Have fun!

 

[silkiemama002]

Thanks so much @AGeese, sorry for such a slow reply, Christmas holidays and whatnot! Hope you had/are having a great break!

The other angle to this is in regards to those who discorage the use of antiparasitics, antibiotics, and pesticides because of the potiential for resistence (natural immunity) to build up in the environment against them with wide spread use.

Even though I prefer to use natural methods where possible for prevention, I certainly am not against clinical medications when necessary!

At minimum it's a good one to have in your fowl first aid kit along with Corid, Enrofloxacin, and Permethrin (if you can afford them.)

I have Corid and Permethrin already, however I will get my hands on some Ivermectin. Even if I don't use it, I definitely want to have it in my kit for an emergency! The stress and worry of waiting when you are sad they are unwell is horrible...