Offered Surrendered chickens from a local shelter

[protoman]

Hi All,

I am very new to the chicken scene and currently have my first flock of 9 (8 hens and 1 rooster). My chicks are currently about 4 months old and are going to be used primarily as egg laying and pets. I currently have them in an indoor/outdoor coop that seems to be big enough for the group of them. The indoor portion, which they only seem to be in on really hot days, at night, or when laying eggs, is approximately 7ft wide by 3.5ft deep. The outside portion is an 8ft by 6ft fully enclosed (by chicken wire) cube. Like I previously said, it appears that this setup is currently large enough for my current flock, but I am not sure by how much.

1. First question, judging by the size of my indoor/outdoor coop, about how many chickens should I be able to have?
2. Second question, as the title states, I have been offered a couple of chickens that were surrendered to a local animal shelter, but they know nothing about them other than a rough estimate on age (about 6 months). What is the best practice for introducing new chickens to my current flock knowing that the history behind the surrendered ones is unknown AND with my current setup is a couple more chickens too much? (I have heard about preforming a quarantine on the new ones for a week or so to make sure they aren't sick and then slowly moving them closer to my current flock by possibly putting them next to my current coop, but separated by chicken wire and then after a little while putting them into my current coop with my flock and monitoring them.)

Thanks in advance for any incite and/or advice on my current situation. I am an animal lover and want to help the surrendered chickens immediately, but I also want to do what's right and best for both parties.

 

[protoman]

...but they know nothing about them other than a rough estimate on age (about 6 months)...

After taking a look at them myself I would guess they are closer to 2 months...maybe 3 max (not sure if that matters).

 

[Den in Penn]

Your coup and run will start to get to small soon. The recommended sizes on this forum for small flocks is 4 sq ft in the coop and 10 sq ft in the run per chicken. The coop portion is 24.5 sq ft that is 7 chickens and the run at 48 sq ft is a little under 5 chickens. Those numbers for the size are a little flexible in that you can substitute run for coop if you have the roosts and nest numbers right and the climate is mild.

The method you described is close to what I use with new chicks into the flock, so it should work. The standard time for a quarantine is 30 days. There are a few diseases that take 14 days to show.

 

[protoman]

Your coup and run will start to get to small soon.  The recommended sizes on this forum for small flocks is 4 sq ft in the coop and 10 sq ft in the run per chicken.  The coop portion is 24.5 sq ft that is 7 chickens and the run at 48 sq ft is a little under 5 chickens.  Those numbers for the size are a little flexible in that you can substitute run for coop if you have the roosts and nest numbers right and the climate is mild.

The method you described is close to what I use with new chicks into the flock, so it should work.  The standard time for a quarantine is 30 days. There are a few diseases that take 14 days to show. 

So am I reading this right: you're saying that I could add 2 more, but that would prett much max my current coop out? OR are you saying I'd have to modify the size of my current coop to add these two new hens?

Side note: my coop is also 8ft tall and I plan on making a second tier, in the near futur to it to allow for 2 4ft levels of moveability for the chicks.

 

[Den in Penn]

I was giving the maximum number each would be rated for. Try this each chicken should have 4 sq ft in the coop plus 10 sq ft in the run, for a total of 14 sq ft. per bird. The total sq ft for your set up is is 72.5 sq ft. The number you need for yours is 9 chickens x 14 sq ft = 126 sq ft. 72.5 sq ft is short of 126 sq ft. Yes I was saying you would have to add to your set up.

 

[protoman]

I was giving the maximum number each would be rated for.  Try this each chicken should have 4 sq ft in the coop plus 10 sq ft in the run, for a total of 14 sq ft. per bird.  The total sq ft for your set up is is 72.5 sq ft.   The number you need for yours is 9 chickens x 14 sq ft = 126 sq ft.  72.5 sq ft is short of 126 sq ft.  Yes I was saying you would have to add to your set up.

Oh, Ooops, I totally misread what you had said. Darn my dyslexia! Thanks for the clarification. I will have to make other arrangements for the two surrendered hens as the shelter is unable to keep farm animals. Wish the outcome could have been different, but I have to do what's best for the birds!

 

[miko2104]

Definitely keep the new chickens quarantined for a week or two. Check for mites, etc., as well as clear, bright eyes, no bare patches, ooze.
I have a small pen beside my large run so the chickens can see each other, but not peck. When finally introducing the newcomers, do so at night. Put the new chickens in the coop with the old after lights out and you shouldn't have any problems in the morning. This has worked for me for years.

 

[Mrs. K]

Miko - if you put new hens right next to your hens, that is not a quarantine. It is a good way to get new birds used to each other, but in order to quarantine, you need to keep the birds separate by several hundred feet. Perhaps you know this, and do it, and I misunderstood your post.

To the op - I agree with the advice about the space. I think that you might be headed for problem behavior even if you don't add any more birds. What seems like a lot of space when birds are small, becomes too small as the birds get larger. Often on here, you will read posts, where they all got along just fine, and then all of a sudden there is feather eating, bullying, and other undesirable stressful behavior.

In my own experience, I was raising chicks in a flock, and I had not really paid too much attention, but I had a predator get in and reduce my flock by 3 head. And it was amazing how the tension was released from the flock, I had not really been aware of it till it was gone. Another consideration is the seasons, in the summer, mine are outside, dawn to dark, and in SD, that is a long day, but with winter the day is much, much shorter, and they are headed for the coup by 4:30, and the morning does not come till nearly 7:00.

In smaller set ups like ours, it is really amazing how one or two head more or less, makes a huge difference.

Mrs K

 

[Angelicisi]

Thank you for possibly taking in shelter birds. Bad publicity from the frustrated shelters about chicken keeping is growing
Ive rescued a few, they're sweethearts and faithful layers. I would have a whole free range pasture for rescues if I could lol I've even set up other homes in advance for rescued chickens here. Just in case. Shelters aren't set up for fowl, nor do they have the funding to do so but adding a hen to a set up can go rather smooth, adding a pair or more at a time is better-give them a buddy system. I start by free ranging them together, then nightly putting them on the roosts after the original girls are roosted and resting. Some squabbling is perfectly normal. I had one girl just be relentless chasing a new one around, so with a squirt gun I'd interrupt her attacks. A few squirts and she just Clucks loudly walking past the new one now lol I have also removed the head hen from the flock to disrupt the order when introducing new birds. She was going anyway but it helped, like previously stated, a lot of tension lifted and a new pecking order was in place. Definitely quarantine them before introducing them to your birds tho. I would dust them and give then at least a week on new food and at least 2 weeks to keep an eye out for internal issues or parasite loads.

 

[protoman]

Thank you for possibly taking in shelter birds. Bad publicity from the frustrated shelters about chicken keeping is growing

Yeah, the shelter is actually one I volunteer at and they are great, but like you said, most shelters aren't set up for farm animals and that is exactly the case here. Since I have the ability, I think I will be fostering these two until the shelter can find someone to take them in. I would totally take them in, but reading the comments above, it appears I do not have enough space for them currently. I would rather they go to someone who can give them exactly what they need/want, but in the meantime I can provide them with a much better home/atmosphere than the shelter.