Questions on adding a roster in with my hens.....

[speckledhen]

Just be sure to quarantine him away from the flock if you get him, at least four weeks. When you introduce him, the head hen may attack him, but he'll be able to handle it just fine. As far as yellow feathers around his neck, it's anyone's guess. That's pretty vague and could be a mixed breed even.

 

[rosyposyosy]

just go for it. your girls will probably be happier. it honestly doesnt matter what breed just pick your favorite one rooster that she has.

 

[Bec]

How do you quarantine him and what do you look for while he is quarantined?

How do you introduce them? Shouldit be little bits at a time or just let them loose.....my girls are very large..i wouldn't want them to beat the crap out of him....lol

Will he still mess up their feathers even though he is so small and they are so big??

 

[silkiechicken]

When in quarantine, usually a month or so, I would look for feather mites, over all condition, any creepy crawlies, wheezing, or just other health issues. Do look carefully for bugs on them though because those can hide pretty well.

When I introduced my new rooster to the flock, after the old one was taken in the night, I literally just dropped him in with the girls. They looked at him, he looked at them and they must have done chicken introductions or something, because the next thing he did was mate with a hen and she had the most disgusted look on her face.

That's probably because their last roo was a 2 lb banty and their replacement was a 8.5 lb standard!

They are all doing well now

Good luck!

Edit: A banty won't mess up the feathers nearly as bad as a 8-10lb standard sized roo. I don't think any of my girls had damaged feathers till I got the big guy.

 

[speckledhen]

I just posted about quarantine-look at the Sticky at the top of the Diseases & Cures. I put Hawkeye in a large wire dog kennel in my bsmt bathroom, dusted him and his bedding with DE, fed him proper food (he'd only been fed corn), yogurt, vitamins, handled him and watched him. A disease can take up to a month to show itself. At one point I would take him up to my deck where I had another dog kennel and he'd get to bask in the sun eight feet above my girls' heads, so no contact. I then put him in a pen next to theirs so they could see him. A couple of the Wyandottes did flare up at him and grabbed his huge comb through the fence, but when I finally let him in the main pen, and put the girls in one by one, he worked it out by putting them in their places immediately. After that day, they were one big happy flock with a new leader.
A smaller rooster may not mess up their feathers quite as much, but he will still grab them by their neck or head.

 

[Bec]

How far away should he be kept from the gilrs while in quarantine? Should he be allowed to see them? what do you reccomend his stay in during this time?

If I go and look at the roosters, what should I look for..as far as mites and stuff like that? I dont know what they look like or anything...any tips for picking wisly? I think I may end up atleast going to just look and then decide a yes or no.



And what is DE?? Where can you get it?? IF I shouldget him, should he get treatment right away just in case?

 

[speckledhen]

In quarantine, there can be NO contact between them at all so they can catch nothing airborne. A good sized dog kennel or separate pen is good. Lice or mites are easily remedied during quarantine, but you'd have to upend him and take a quick look around his vent or under the wings for little crawly things. If you aren't looking for show quality or anything, just bright, clear eyes and no discharges from eyes or nose would be the basics to look for. If he seems healthy and you like him, bring him home and quarantine the boy and observe him. And ASK if he's ever been ill.
DE is diatomaceous earth, food grade only. Poultry Dust will kill bugs, too. Feedstores would have that. YOu may have to look for DE, not always easy to find. Check out this site for info.
http://www.custommilling.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=27

 

[Bec]

Excellent!! Well I guess all I have to do now is go take a look and see. The lady seemed very nice and she said they are her pets. I will call her tomorrow and run over and see the boys. I will check back and update you and IF I get him I will take pics and show him off a little!!!

Thank You, Thank You , Thank You for all of your help...and for putting up with questions I a SURE you have heard a million trillion times!!!!

 

[rooster-red]

I had 2 roos and no hens up until this march when I got 2 hens of the same age as the roos.

When they where introduced face to face it was like a 7th grade school dance, boys on one side, girls on the other.

That didn't last very long!

 

[speckledhen]

Trust me, it's much easier to introduce a rooster to the hens than a new hen to the hens, LOL. They do treat him differently than another hen.