- Oct 17, 2016
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In general, I usually use the playpen method, but let's see how well I can think this late at night 
How do you go about introducing a new bird to an existing flock?
Ive never actually bought/acquired an adult bird (although I have gotten young pullets), but they would be in very mild quarantine for a month, then put in a wire dog kennel outside for a week to see/meet the locals, and since I let my birds free range, I would just let her out one morning and hand out with them and keep an eye on her. Free ranging them is a good thing to keep existing flock members distracted, and give the newbie space to run away as well.
~Do you quarantine new birds and if so, how?
IF I ever get a new chicken that is older than 3 weeks again, they will be put into a dog crate in the "bunny coop", which is basically sick bay, for 4 weeks. Last time I got new birds (besides the baby chicks this year), I only quarantined them for two weeks, and two weeks after I let them out, one died, and then the rest of the flock got really sick with what we think was Marek's. We had to cull half the flock, but after that,it cleared up on its own.
With babies, they get "quarantined" in the brooder - I worry more about them not being exposed to the adult birds than keeping them away from them, so that they can build up immunity.
~What is the best age(s) to introduce young birds (for example brooder raised chicks)?
When they are big enough to fend for themselves, or In a free range situation, maybe a week before that. About 8 weeks or so.
~How do you integrate a broody hen with chicks into the flock?
If I decide to let a hen hatch eggs, she gets her own nest that is either blocked off from the rest of the flock, or is out of the coop all together. Once she hatches the chicks, she gets her own private kennel, and trips to the front yard AWAY from the main flock a couple times a day. Once the babies get bigger, Mama will slowly integrate them into gfue flock by herself.
~How do you introduce cockbirds to a flock of hens and what was your experience doing so?
I don't do anything special. Playpen, supervision, and free time. In the end it comes down to the hens sub missing to him.
How do you go about introducing a new bird to an existing flock?
Ive never actually bought/acquired an adult bird (although I have gotten young pullets), but they would be in very mild quarantine for a month, then put in a wire dog kennel outside for a week to see/meet the locals, and since I let my birds free range, I would just let her out one morning and hand out with them and keep an eye on her. Free ranging them is a good thing to keep existing flock members distracted, and give the newbie space to run away as well.
~Do you quarantine new birds and if so, how?
IF I ever get a new chicken that is older than 3 weeks again, they will be put into a dog crate in the "bunny coop", which is basically sick bay, for 4 weeks. Last time I got new birds (besides the baby chicks this year), I only quarantined them for two weeks, and two weeks after I let them out, one died, and then the rest of the flock got really sick with what we think was Marek's. We had to cull half the flock, but after that,it cleared up on its own.
With babies, they get "quarantined" in the brooder - I worry more about them not being exposed to the adult birds than keeping them away from them, so that they can build up immunity.
~What is the best age(s) to introduce young birds (for example brooder raised chicks)?
When they are big enough to fend for themselves, or In a free range situation, maybe a week before that. About 8 weeks or so.
~How do you integrate a broody hen with chicks into the flock?
If I decide to let a hen hatch eggs, she gets her own nest that is either blocked off from the rest of the flock, or is out of the coop all together. Once she hatches the chicks, she gets her own private kennel, and trips to the front yard AWAY from the main flock a couple times a day. Once the babies get bigger, Mama will slowly integrate them into gfue flock by herself.
~How do you introduce cockbirds to a flock of hens and what was your experience doing so?
I don't do anything special. Playpen, supervision, and free time. In the end it comes down to the hens sub missing to him.
. So, here I am beginning the integration process again with a 6 week old EE, two 6 week old Dominiques, and a 3 week old BSL. Due to the BSL being younger than the other pullets, I'm keeping them all visible but separated from the older hens for two weeks (last time I did one). My hen house is very small, I don't actually expect them all to fit in there comfortable when they're fully grown, but plans for a bigger coop are in the works. My integration plan is simple: part of my hen house is sectioned off with hardware cloth so I can keep the chicks warm and safe at night, and then during the day they are in a wire dog crate next to the run. The adult hens free range during the day, so they won't actually be spending that much time in close proximity to the chicks during the day, but enough that I feel they'll get used to the sight of them. The hens cram themselves into a single nest box at night with a full view of the sectioned off "chick pen". I'm planning on keeping up this system for two weeks, and then adding extra feeding stations into the run and keeping everyone in the run together for an additional two weeks while the chicks mature enough to remember to return to the coop when free ranging. I plan to simply remove the barrier when putting the chicks in the coop one night, thus surprising the adults with official roommates the next morning 
Susan and Yuengling snuggled in their nest box 
