Introducing ONE hen to existing flock...

[buckaroo's wife]

You are right - I should've been more safe than sorry - I was just too excited, and didn't think this through!!! This was a rather spur of the moment deal. I will post some pics soon - they are a hilarious bunch!

 

[markb816]

What would be the protocol or the process for quarantine and for how long??

 

[urban dreamer]

Im kinda in the same boat. My SO bought his first chicken about a month and half ago. Intergration did NOT go well! We had her quarentined for a month and then put her in the coop with the others after dark. Unfortunately, there was blood drawn. After a couple days of two particular hens pulling feathers and bleeding my SO's poor little hen, we separtated them. The two meanies (EEs) are in the quarentine coop and my SO's bird and my broody BR are in the big coop. The two groups can see and talk to each other from across the yard. Im waiting on my BR to get over her broody spell before I try to intergrate again. This is my first time trying to introduce a single hen. I have successfully mixed multiples before. I am hopeing that because she is not alone this time, the intergration will go much smoother. She and my BR have really hit it off. If you get anywhere with your single hen, please let me know!

 

[urban dreamer]

Quote:
When you first bring home a new bird (birds is strongly recommended), you must quarentine them for at least a month. They need to be as far away from your exhisting flock as possible to prevent diseases from spreading. Even if the birds look healthy when you get them, they may have an underlying illness that dose not make itself known until it is too late.

I am really glad I quarentined my birds! When I brought my two EEs home, they looked completely healthy. And they were. It was my exhisting flock that got sick! My two BRs got a bad case of round worms that I had to spend a good amount of money to treat. I am glad that I only had to treat the two affected birds. If they had been added all together, I would have had to treat all four. Lucky for me, my new birds were still illness-free after a month and it was safe to add them to the flock. One little bug from a new bird can take out your entire flock very quickly. Introductions are hard because you must disturb the "pecking order" in order to do it. Usually there is alot of squabbling (no blood, mabey some feather plucking), but they settle down in a couple of days.

Hopes the answers your question!

 

[fargosmom]

Another thing to think about regarding the quarantine is that even healthy birds may have some underlying illness that their immune system is capable of keeping at bay - but with the disruption of the pecking order you increase their stress levels and their immune systems can be overwhelmed by what would otherwise be "normal" bugs.

 

[buckaroo's wife]

Update: I turned my new barred rock out with my others. First time at dusk, they free ranged together and she went to roost with them at dark. So far she appears unscathed. There is minor pecking and territorial tendencies (I still have seperate food and water out for her) but so far so good. I'm assuming it's nothing I did special...only pure luck...but so far so good!!

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

I'm thinking about adding to my flock. My ordinance only leaves me room to add one more however. I've been warned not to do it, but my chickens are a small, sweet bunch. And, not to mention, that we had to separate 2 of our birds when the got sick for about 2 days. They went right back into the flock-no problems. Hopefully it's the same with you and my possible new addition!