Lone Silkie Needs Company

[Fluffy&Cutie]

Hi. We recently lost Cutie. Now we have ONE lonely Silkie hen. We are going o get 2 chicks today to keep her company. question One: Do I need to wait the 30 days for germs, etc? Question Two: Can I introduce the chicks to the silkie or must it be 6-8 weeks? Thanks for your support.
R

 

[rosemarythyme]

1. How old are the chicks and where are you getting them from? Day old hatchery chicks are very low on the list of biosecurity risk, so I wouldn't worry about quarantine for those, but the older they get, or the more "iffy" their background, the more that might be a concern.

2. Depending on their age and your decision about quarantine/biosecurity, they can be introduced with a see but don't touch set up immediately, where both groups are separated but can see (but not touch) each other. You'd want to do that for at least 1-2 weeks before letting them mingle, optimally with supervision.

 

[Fluffy&Cutie]

1. How old are the chicks and where are you getting them from? Day old hatchery chicks are very low on the list of biosecurity risk, so I wouldn't worry about quarantine for those, but the older they get, or the more "iffy" their background, the more that might be a concern.

2. Depending on their age and your decision about quarantine/biosecurity, they can be introduced with a see but don't touch set up immediately, where both groups are separated but can see (but not touch) each other. You'd want to do that for at least 1-2 weeks before letting them mingle, optimally with supervision.

thanks so much. they are from a local feed store. they are a few days to a week old. the seller was insulted when i asked about his chicks, "Our birds are healthy!" -LOL, I know.
thank you again for your advice. Happy day to you.
Reena

 

[Lizzy733]

Does she go broody on any sort of schedule? Very young chicks could be slipped in if she's been brooding for 3-4 weeks already. My Silkie is very mellow and I think the lack of vision from the 'poof' means she's more accommodating to newcomers, so if your girl is of a similar temperament, they may be mingling sooner than later.

With day-old, week old, you will still need to provide them with a heat source for quite some time though.

With a small flock, it's best to always plan ahead when the flock dips down to 2-3 birds.

At the moment, I'm down to 3 with one being broody. When the other one was also laying, my usually very independent girl was coming to hang out with us out of loneliness. Thankfully, they're all varying ages and healthy for the time being, otherwise I'd look at POL or off-heat babies, myself.

Luckily, eggs are literally in the bator, so they should have some new friends in two months, give or take.

I have mingled a pol without quarantine and didn't have any trouble, but it really involves a lot of trust in the breeder to know they're also practicing good biosecurity. Being able to see their setup and talk to them can go a long way.