Introducing My Ladies to Newbies!!!

[pgras123]

I just have to have more egg producers between people off the road and people at work my 9 girls cant produce enough and sure enough surfing the net - it led me to a posting on backyardchicikens.com! This guy is just a few miles from my house. I plan on picking up a few new members on Sunday Morning?

How should I introduce the new birds to the existing ones:cd? Any advice? Or am I just thinking about this too much? Just put them in the coop and take it from there?

 

[my first peepers]

First you should quarantine the new girls for 30 days. Once you know they are healthy you should either divide your coop or put them in an area next to your other chickens for a couple of weeks so they can see and peck at each other with a fence between them. This way they will get used to each other without a big fight. Some people will add the new chickens at night while they are all sleeping so that they wake up next to each other. Either way I would keep an eye on them for the first day or two to make sure there isn't any major bullying going on. Good luck!

 

[pgras123]

Thanks, I was wondering about the health. I checked this guy out on line and it looks like a good farm, but I will be able to see that first hand I guess, or maybe I should get new chicks from a nursery? Would that be safer?

I really don't have a second coop to quarentine - but I guess I could make a temporary one in the barn (with fencing) and put straw down etc. Its just that my hen house was built to be predator proof and you never know if the barn is 100% predator proof. My henhouse is actually built elevated in the barn etc. Very good things to think about - what if the guys chickens were sick -maybe I should go the nursery route?

 

[muddler6]

One thing you didn't mention was if they are full grown birds or chicks. (unless I missed it, it has been a long day) Anyhow, I would not mix birds that are too small to defend themselves. I have had agressive roos and hens draw blood on the smaller birds when introducing them. If you have enough room in you run to string up some chicken wire to seperate them within the same area, or large dog crates, etc. A little creativity can help solve this. I gave my birds a month to get use to each other, but I also have, a coop, a temporary coop (used mainly for my meat birds) and a chicken tractor. I alternated who got to roam and range, and then one day they went out at the same time and all was well.

 

[pgras123]

I have not seen them yet, but yes my girls are around 7 months old and this guys birds seem to be from 8 weeks to 3 months. So yes they are younger and I have admired many a chicken tractor - time to look at those again - we have lots of room - 5 acres but we are in a flood plain - but we shouldn't be flooding until late winter or early spring - so I should be good - already thinking of ways to make temp coops/runs. THanks.

 

[pgras123]

oh yeah, no roos here, not yet anyways- would probably be cool to have one of those one day.