Reintroducing a chicken after 6 weeks.....

[juliejohnson805]

I sold some chickens to a friend at work who was starting a new flock. One turned out to be a roo and she wants to trade for a pullet. I am fine with that. It has been about 6-8 weeks since I sold them to her. Do I need to seperate him from the flock I have? Will they remember him as one of their own? He was around 8-10 weeks when he left.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I sold some chickens to a friend at work who was starting a new flock. One turned out to be a roo and she wants to trade for a pullet. I am fine with that. It has been about 6-8 weeks since I sold them to her. Do I need to seperate him from the flock I have? Will they remember him as one of their own? He was around 8-10 weeks when he left.

Hard to know if they will accept him right off the bat or not - they are still fairly young - will he be the only cockerel?
All you can do is try and see how it goes, if it doesn't go well, then cage him within the coop/run or next to the flock for introduction.

You may also want to consider quarantining him for a few weeks, especially if your friend has mentioned that her flock had any symptoms of illness.

 

[juliejohnson805]

He will be the only cockerel in the flock which is why I was anxious to get him back. We'll see how it goes Saturday. I usually quarantine but since these were my mine to begin with I'm fairly comfortable skipping that step. I will know more after I pick him up and I can see where her birds are kept and their condition.

 

[aart]

I usually quarantine but since these were my mine to begin with I'm fairly comfortable skipping that step.

But he could have picked up anything in the 8 weeks he's been there.
Only you can weigh the risks and decide how to handle them.

He was around 8-10 weeks when he left.

Surprised it wan't apparent that he was a he at this age.
What breed is he?

As for integration, that'll be a crap shoot too.
He's probably rarin' to go at 14-18 weeks old...and your girls may not appreciate that.
Do you have older birds too? They may kick his butt.
Best have a place to keep him safe but in sight or your other birds.

Let us know how it works out.
Best of cLuck!

 

[juliejohnson805]

He is a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte. I wasn't 100% sure but told her he might be a he. The feathering on these birds gets better as they mature and I wasn't sure if he was a mix or pure at the time. I'm still learning. Fairly confident he's 100% BLRW now and want to see how he matures.

Thanks for the insight. My flock does contain mixed ages but they are used to a roo. I lost mine couple weeks ago to a rogue dog. I'm thinking I'll seperate him within coop right now but I'll wait til I get to see her other birds and their setup. It was a brand new setup and flock.

 

[aart]

He is a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte. I wasn't 100% sure but told her he might be a he. The feathering on these birds gets better as they mature and I wasn't sure if he was a mix or pure at the time.

Usually comb size and color tall the tale on males by about 4-8 weeks,
but Wy's are harder to tell this way.

 

[Chicken Heel]

I have a 16 weeks old Black Australorp rooster that I am considering introducing to my mixed flock of twelve 2 3/4 years old large breed hens. These hens have never had a rooster with them and have a very defined pecking order established. The rooster has been in an adjacent lot for a while but I think there may be a scuffle or twelve when/if I do the integration. I have done this type of integration in the past and things generally work out after the rooster gets his butt whooped a few times but these hens are a bit on the feisty side, especially the three Austra Whites and three Cuckoo Marans. The Marans also have spurs that are 1 - 2 inches long and they could possibly injure the rooster if things get serious.