New birds in quarentine...but for how long?

[Sailing Dede]

Hello all
Just a few queries on the new chicken front.
I have a flock of 20 birds, all on free range, 50m electric fence job. All is well.
A friend is moving and has given me 5 birds, all older then mine, at about 2 and a half years old.
I have put these new birds in there own run (4m x 6m) and they seem to be doing fine.
On close inspection they are healthy birds. Clear eyes, very active, come from free ranging home, no lice etc. They are very active and friendly.
The only thing that niggles me is there poo. It is very watery, and I am feeding them the same as my flock, layers pellets and mixed corn.
I have wormed them, but it made no difference.
What does this mean?
Could it be stress? As the birds can see my main flock and want to join them?
Or because they were moved away from there home/flock and are in a smaller run?
Or something more sinister, like a past respritory illness etc?
Or are older birds just like this? (This is my first year of keeping chickens, so my main flock is only 14months old or less).
I was going to keep them seperated for 2 weeks (so 4 weeks total), is this long enough?
And what do I do if their stool is still watery?
Will it be safe to mix them with my exsisting flock?
They seem to be healthy, so I dont want to cull them.
Any advice would be most welcome.
Thanks
dede

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Hi there

I do my quarantine well away from my original flock, where they can't see each other. I quarantine for a month, which usually makes for some mighty unhappy birds, but I think I read thats the incubation period for most diseases. Some chickens can carry an illness and never show symptoms. So you could quarentine and still find yourself in a pickle. The watery poo is probably from the stress of moving to a new home. Also, perhaps a change in diet, unless you and your friend feed the exact same things. Chickens are creatures of habit, and the slightest change in routine can upset them to the point of physical symptoms (runny poo). I would continue with what you're doing, and keep an eye on them. Their poo should clear up soon, once they get used to their new home and routine. Enjoy your new birds, good luck!

 

[Sailing Dede]

We do not feed the chickens the same feed, so that could well be one aspect.
My back garden is unfortunately like the farmland that surrounds it, very flat and field like,
so where ever I had put the pen of new chickens, they would have been able to see my old flock.
But maybe this will make the intergration period easier as they will have already have seen and heard eachother.
We shall see.
So are you saying that even if the poo is watery after the month (two more weeks) you would mix the birds?
Cause it could just be the stress of having gone from a large free range field to a small penned area?
Also there is no grass in this area. I think this might be whats stressing them out, as they can see my birds playing and eating the grass.

 

[chickbea]

If I were you, I'd take a representative poop sample down to the vet and have a float test done. Perhaps they are carrying an unusual worm load and that is causing the runny poo.

 

[7L Farm]

I have just moved one of my hens to confinenment because they dang near pecked her to death. She wouldn't eat for days . But she drank water yep watery green & white poop. I finally started giving her oatmeal with GBS with hot water & greens from my garden she started eating her poop now looks like GBS put still runny. She was use to free ranging everyday now she doesn't. I'm sure thats why her poop has changed. Its because her diet has changed. I'm feeding her alot of protein so she will grow her feathers back.