single chicken new flock coming

[Becky Quinn]

When I began this chicken adventure I had no intention of having a single chicken (chicken math gone south 8-7=1) Due to illness or something I did horribly wrong I lost 7 chicks at aprox one chick every other day for two weeks. The lone survivor is Cora and she is now 6 weeks old. Since then I have read more chicken blogs, sites, and books than I had to read in college! I finally steadied my nerves and ordered day old chicks from McMurry (the first was a local farm). They are to arrive next week. My question is now how do I go about merging these girls? Do I put Cora (who is a highly spoiled but loving bird who currently lives in a corner of our room) in the coop prior to the girls that are coming? If so how much prior? Or do I introduce them at some point while still in the brooder? Should I make a larger playpen and allow them to get to know each other while still in the house and move them all together? My fear is, being a flock animal, she has adopted us as her flock right now and I do not wish to over stress her. Nor do I wish to sleep in the coop. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

 

[lazy gardener]

How have you survived this long with Cora in your bedroom????? Cora is old enough to move into the coop, but as you say, this is a different situation, since for all intents and purposes, she has not had the flock experience, and may not even know she is a chicken. (tongue in cheek) Can you brood the chicks in the coop? My big concern is that Cora is a carrier of what ever illness took the rest of her flock mates. My suggestion would by to keep a good distance between the chicks and Cora for a 4 week quarantine period, then introduce 2 chicks to her for a week, and see if they get sick. You may need to do the introduction with wire between Cora and the chicks, but the idea is to get them well exposed to her, perhaps even putting them on some of her old litter. If they don't get sick, you should be good to integrate Cora with the rest of the chicks.

 

[Becky Quinn]

That is a concern for me as well (the illness that was passed) I clean her brooder a couple times a week and both hubby and I are from farms. Although, he went from NO CHICKENS in the house to "Keep her in our room it will save you a thousand steps a day" fairly quickly ;-) He isn't as thrilled to keep the new chicks in there (so he currently says) The new ones were vaccinated for cocci (my suspect as what illness) and Mareks. The current plan is chicks at the far end of the house and Cora remains where she is until we figure this out. That sounds reasonable and perhaps if Cora is a carrier the newbies will be stronger at 4 weeks to survive it?