Newbie

[N F C]

Congratulations on your new flock!

 

[Star627]

Here's a question...I have my existing flock that is about 2 1/2-3 months old. My father in law just brought over his flock of 4...they are 1 1/2-2 years old. How do I introduce them properly?? I have found tons of forums for the reverse...older chickens & bringing in new chicks. I have 7 females & 2 males in my current flock of chicks. He brought over 2 hens & 2 Banty roosters. Any thoughts would be appreciated

 

[N F C]

Whenever you get new birds, you should keep them isolated from your existing flock for about a month; that's so you can be sure you aren't introducing an illness or pests to your birds. After that you can set up your coop and run so they can see each other but not touch; that's so they can get used to each other. Once they do all get together you can expect some skirmishes as they work out a new pecking order but as long as no one gets injured to the point of bleeding, they'll be ok.

My first thought when reading that you now have 9 females and 4 males is that's 3 too many roosters. Unless you want fertile eggs, you don't need a male at all. If you do want fertile eggs, 1 rooster can easily service 9 females (the recommended ratio is 1 roo per 8-10 girls). Too many males will cause a lot of stress and maybe injuries to your girls from overbreeding.

 

[Star627]

Thanks for your comment. I don't want any roosters!! I have to figure out what I'm going to do with them. I agree 4 is way too many!!