Just took in a rescue chicken, need some advice please!

[kandp1]

Hi everyone. I'm a newbie around here, but have kept chickens for the past four years in lovely Upstate NY. Here is my question I hope some of you can help answer:

My neighbor rescued an abandoned chicken she found outside her work this morning, and being that she doesn't currently have chickens of her own asked me if I would be interested in taking her in. I of course said yes! She is currently warm and toasty in our basement, set up in our temporary brooder box lol. She is a small girl, and I'm not positive of her breed but I think Bantam something. Fully feathered out pure white, feathered legs, with the kind of signature Bantam stance.

She seems in good shape, no visible injuries, and is acting okay (she has plenty of spunk...almost got away from me while I was transferring her to her new set up and scared my kids wild haha!)

What do I need to do before I introduce her to the rest of my flock? I have four other chickens, all really sweet girls and pretty docile in nature. One Buff Orp., one Black Australorp, and two Red Sex Links. Do I need to de-worm her? Anything you would recommend? We have introduced chicks to the flock before, but never another fully grown bird. Thank you!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

It is a good idea to quarantine for 30 days...even then there are diseases that can render a chicken an asymptomatic carrier. If you have a flock that is very special to you, you may want to consider putting a "sacrificial chicken" in with her before you have her join the flock, then wait awhile to see if that one gets sick (which is done after the quarantine).

This would serve another purpose...to give her a friend (so when she joins the flock she isn't the only "new" chicken).

Since you have a very small flock, you may decide not to quarantine. It is a personal decision.

I can tell you that it is a VERY good idea to worm a new chicken coming in (been there done that

lost birds because of worms

). Remember wormers have to be repeated to break the life cycle of the worm and remember to toss eggs (they aren't approved for egglaying hens and it would be off label so research this thoroughly. If you sell eggs or meat there would be legalities I am sure).

Also dust for mites/lice with permethrin dust or spray, repeat in 7 and 14 days (7 for mites and 7/14 for lice).


Check for scaly leg mites (leg scales will look lifted) and if she has them, dip each leg in mineral oil (or veg. oil) or coat with vaseline daily for 2 weeks to smother the mites. This is messy with feathered feet but I have done it.

Feathered leg bantams include cochins, d'Uccles, or she could be a cross (maybe some others too but I can't think of any right now). She sounds very pretty!

 

[donrae]

Quarantine quarantine quarantine. Unless you don't mind having to cull your current birds. here's just one story in hundreds here

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/newestpost/841229


Also, if you read through the massive "what do you wish you had known before you got chickens" thread, probably a quarter of the posts are about not introducing strange birds, so many folks have got sick birds from that.

After quarantine, there are several threads on integrating a new bird to the flock.