Moving chicks to area previously occupied by chickens

[donnavee]

I currently have eight 11 mo old pullets and will be getting 6 more in April

. When they are ready to move outside, they will have their own smaller coop near the big girls and I plan to section off a part of the existing run for them. That way, everyone can look but not peck until they are big enough to join the flock. So my question is - since my existing chickens have been using the entire run (this is a pretty large area), do I need to "sanitize" the part the new chicks will occupy? I know cleaning up any poo would be in order, but do I need to do more?

Existing chickens were vaccinated for Mareks and fed medicated chick starter until about 8 weeks when I gradually began mixing in unmedicated feed. I have had no illness or parasites with the existing flock. However, I want to be safe so would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks

 

[midget_farms]

As long as your existing flock is healthy you don't need to do anything before introducing the new birds. They should be ready now if they are 11 months old.

Just remember - flocks don't like intruders. Introduce them at night when everyone is sleepy.

 

[donnavee]

Thanks - I don't have the new chicks yet, by the time I get them - the existing girls will be a year old and I'm sure will want to beat up the new ones. They are rather spoiled.

 

[midget_farms]

Always good to plan ahead -

Any time you introduce new chickens to an existing flock do it at night when they are asleep. Putting them together in the daylight when they are awake will cause the existing hens to kill the intruders. If however you do it at night - the old hens can't count! They won't know new hens have been added & will accept them easily.

There will be some pecking as the new pecking order must be established, but nothing to worry about.