New Flock Intro

[AClagg]

I currently have 3 BCM hens and I'm about to introduce a new flock of Wynadottes (6) with them. Should I start my girls on any medicated feed to protect them? I am mostly a new chick mom. The BCMs have been all organic/free-range and I'm worried this will stress them.

 

[DobieLover]

Are the Wyandottes chicks or pullets?
If pullets, have they finished quarantine?
Whenever you make a change to the flock or their surroundings, you will stress them.
That stress can be mitigated with lots of space, lots of things to do in the space and multiple feed and water stations. The free ranging will help. It's when they are all locked into the coop that they will start bickering.
I would not feed medicated food but would absolutely have Corid on hand and at the ready at the first sign of coccidiosis.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum from Louisiana, glad you joined.

I currently have 3 BCM hens and I'm about to introduce a new flock of Wynadottes (6) with them.

How old are they, the old ones and the new? Age and maturity has a big effect on how to go about this. What do your facilities look like? How big in feet or meters is your coop? How big in feet or meters is your run, if you have one? Photo showing the inside of the coop and how the coop and run go together could be really helpful. For me it's a lot easier to give suggestions that actually apply to your situation if I know what you are working with. And what kind of weather do you expect to have when you are going through this? That might make a difference.

Should I start my girls on any medicated feed to protect them?

I'm going to copy and paste something I wrote about medicated feed, what it is for, how it works, and what I do. It's not a case where civilization as we know it will forever change if you use it or don't use it. You have options. Hopefully this will help you make an informed decision.


First you need to know what the "medicated" is in the medicated feed. It should be on the label. Usually it is Amprolium, Amprol, some such product, but until you read the label, you really don't know. Most "medicated' feed from major brands for chicks that will be layers uses Amprolium, but there are a few out there mostly for broilers that use other medicines. I'll assume yours is an Amprolium product, but if it is not, then realize everything I say about it may not apply. And it is possible that the "medicated" is Amprolium AND something else.

Amprol is not an antibiotic. It does not kill anything. It inhibits the protozoa that cause coccidiosis (often called Cocci on this forum) from multiplying in the chicken's system. It does not prevent the protozoa from multiplying; it just slows that multiplication down. There are several different strains of protozoa that can cause Cocci, some more severe than others. Chickens can develop immunity to a specific strain of the protozoa, but that does not give them immunity to all protozoa that cause Cocci. Little bitty tiny baby chicks can develop that immunity easier than older chickens.

It is not a big deal for the chicken’s intestines to contain some of the protozoa that cause Cocci. The problem comes in when the number of those protozoa gets huge. The protozoa can multiply in the chicken’s intestines but also in wet manure. Different protozoa strains have different strengths, but for almost all cases, if you keep the brooder dry, you will not have a problem.

To develop immunity to a specific strain, that protozoa needs to be in the chicks intestines for two or three weeks. The normal sequence is that a chick has the protozoa. It poops and some of the cysts that develop the protozoa come out in the poop. If the poop is slightly damp, those cysts develop and will then develop in the chick's intestines when the chicks eat that poop. This cycle needs go on for a few weeks so all chicks are exposed and they are exposed long enough to develop immunity. A couple of important points here. You do need to watch them to see if they are getting sick. And the key is to keep the brooder dry yet allow some of the poop to stay damp. Not soaking wet, just barely damp. Wet poop can lead to serious problems.

What sometimes happens is that people keep chicks in a brooder and feed them medicated feed while they are in the brooder. Those chicks are never exposed to the Cocci protozoa that lives in the dirt in their run, so they never develop the immunity to it. Then, they are switched to non-medicated feed and put on the ground where they are for the first time exposed to the protozoa. They do not have immunity, they do not have the protection of the medicated feed, so they get sick. Feeding medicated feed while in the brooder was a complete waste.

I do not feed medicated feed. I keep the brooder dry to not allow the protozoa to breed uncontrollably. The third day that they are in the brooder, I take a scoop of dirt from the run and feed it to them so I can introduce the protozoa and they can develop the immunity they need to the strain they need to develop an immunity to. To provide a place for that slightly damp poop, I keep a square of plywood in the dry brooder and let the poop build up on that. I don't lose chicks to Cocci when they hit the ground.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding medicated feed to chicks, whether the protozoa are present or not. It will not hurt them. They can still develop the immunity they need. But unless the protozoa are present, it also does no good.

If you get your chicks vaccinated for Cocci, do not feed medicated feed. It can negate the vaccinations.

I am mostly a new chick mom. The BCMs have been all organic/free-range and I'm worried this will stress them.

My concern is not if some get a little stressed, they can handle that. My goal in integration is that no one gets injured. All that stuff about one big happy flock can come later. My main goal is no injury. What are you working with so we can help?

 

[aart]

How old are they, the old ones and the new? Age and maturity has a big effect on how to go about this. What do your facilities look like? How big in feet or meters is your coop? How big in feet or meters is your run, if you have one? Photo showing the inside of the coop and how the coop and run go together could be really helpful. For me it's a lot easier to give suggestions that actually apply to your situation if I know what you are working with.

All the questions I would ask....and Ditto Dat.

And what kind of weather do you expect to have when you are going through this? That might make a difference.

Yes......Welcome to BYC! @AClagg
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

Here are some tips about....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/