Questions to ask before adopting an adult chicken

[BoyankaTheBuff]

I keep a closed flock, and would not bring an adult bird into my flock, no matter what the circumstances are. IMO, the risk of bringing in a latent disease are too great. That being said, I'd do a very careful inspection of her for lice/mites. Ask if there have ever been lice/mite issues in the owner's coop or flock. Why is she giving her up? Ever any runny nose, mucous discharge? Are her eyes bright? Feather quality? (she may be molting, in which case her feathers will look shabby.) Comb and wattles good color? What is the quality of her eggs? How many eggs has she laid/week? Integrating a single bird into an existing flock is difficult. Better for them to come into the flock with a friend. You may want to eventually put one of your birds with her so she has a buddy, then integrate the 2 birds into your flock together.

Most important question is one you need to ask yourself. Are you willing to risk losing all your current birds to illness? Even if the new bird looks perfectly healthy and may never have been ill (exhibited symptoms) it could still be a carrier of illness that could wipe out your entire flock.

In an urban lot, it is unlikely you have the space to effectively quarantine a bird. Additionally, the bird may appear completely healthy all during quarantine but still infect your birds.

There are ways to reduce risk but every time you bring in new birds it is a gamble.

This is good advice; it's probably not worth it. I only considered it because I was sad to hear she was thinking about sending her bird to a shelter (she is currently renting, and moving to a place that she can't take her chicken to.) My feelings got the better of me!

Frankly, I'm not sure your coop is big enough to add another bird. Read up on integration before adopting this bird. General recommendation is minimum 4 square feet per bird in the coop, 10' per bird in the run. How long is your roost? Another minimum recommendation is 1' roost space per bird.

The coop has 10 square feet per bird right now. Do you mean that's too small for more than six birds, or just that the process of integrating a bird would require more space than 10 square feet per bird? I have about eight feet of roost right now (two rows) and planning to add more as soon as I can, but the goofy things all huddle together one one 4' length of roost at night anyway.

 

[azygous]

The preceding posters have offered some excellent advice. I'd like to reiterate that just because a hen looks and acts healthy does not rule out the possibility she is carrying a serious disease.

Let me give you an example. I was having hens get sick and die every few years of unexplained causes. Not many. One every three years or so. Happens in every flock, amirite? Finally, I had a young cockerel get sick and I had to euthanize him. This time I took his body to a lab and had a necropsy done. I found out he had lymphotic leucosis, a form of avian leukemia.

This disease does not make every chicken sick that carries it, but every chicken in my flock is carrying it because it's extremely contagious. Out of twenty-four chickens in my otherwise very healthy appearing flock, only one is presently exhibiting symptoms. I even have hens that are going on eight and nine years old that have never become symptomatic.

So, my flock is deceptive as far as anyone assuming all are very healthy specimens that wouldn't infect other chickens. If I had not had that necropsy done, I would never know my flock of healthy looking birds are carrying a deadly disease that is hideously contagious.

So, by adopting an outside adult hen into your flock, this is what you risk. This disease is in my flock and there is no way I can get rid of it because there is no vaccination and no treatment. Any new chicks I bring into my flock will be exposed and could possibly die of the disease in the future. It's very sad.

Think it over. Do you want this hen badly enough to risk your flock's health for years and years to come?

 

[BoyankaTheBuff]

No, I've already decided against it, but wow, what a sad thing to have happen! Thanks for adding your perspective. I'm glad most of your chickens seem to be enjoying life symptom free.

 

[azygous]

Yes, I try to console myself that most of the flock are happy and healthy, but it's a ticking time bomb, and right now, I'm preparing myself for the day that I know is coming when I need to euthanize the one symptomatic hen. The grief is indescribable, both before and after losing a precious pet.

This is why common wisdom here at BYC dictates it's wise to never import an adult chicken into an existing flock, even though many people aren't entirely sure why. It's far safer to expand your flock by breeding baby chicks or buying them from a reputable breeder or hatchery.

I began my flock with two adopted adult hens, then added another from the same source right after one died not long after acquiring her. That's the only way this disease could have gotten into my flock. If only.....

At least others can learn from my experience.