Unexpected Chickens

[CollieCountess]

Hello!

So, some background, my husband and I have a juvenile flock of 10, that aren't outside yet. They're 6 weeks, and our first chickens, ever.

My neighbor called us this morning, and if giving us 5 more hens. 4 are laying, 1 is elderly (we have been asked to please not eat her).

I have plans to quarantine, deworm, and treat the new ladies for lice, and mites for a month or two, before combining them with our juvenile flock.

First, does anyone have any parasite control suggestions?
Second, what is the best way to combine all these ladies when it's time?

EDIT: Another question, because they are eating layer food, and the juveniles are eating grower food, should we feed them separately? is there even a way to do that once they're combined?

 

[Boogie Beak]

Lucky You!!


Congratulations! I've found that using Durvet Permethrin 10%, 8oz on any new chicken I introduce to my flock, along with quarantining them for at least 3 weeks, has been incredibly beneficial. Interestingly, adding four new chickens at once seems to reduce pecking compared to adding just one. I've implemented a strategy of initially keeping the new ladies in a closed-off section inside the run, where the existing chickens can see and smell them without being able to attack. This method has proven to be highly successful for integrating pullets and new chicks into the family flock.

 

[Silkiebegins]

I have a book that I can recommend that has ton of information for new chicken owners. It is, A Kid's Guide to Keeping Chickens by Melissa Caughey (More for like new chickens owners).

 

[Silkiebegins]

I have a book that I can recommend that has ton of information for new chicken owners. It is, A Kid's Guide to Keeping Chickens by Melissa Caughey (More for like new chickens owners).

It has coop designs, treat ideas, Temperatures, what to do for the first couple of weeks, Diseases and Parasite information and a lot more.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have plans to quarantine, deworm, and treat the new ladies for lice, and mites for a month or two, before combining them with our juvenile flock.
First, does anyone have any parasite control suggestions?

I personally don't like to treat for anything unless I see a specific reason to treat. I don't want to contribute unnecessarily to treatments becoming ineffective. In your circumstances I would not criticize you for doing that. I think it is a reasonable precaution. I think you have a reason.

I'm not going to recommend any specific product, I'm not sure what is available to you. Whatever you use, read the precautions and follow them. If you treat for worms you will probably have a withdrawal period for the eggs. That means you can't eat the eggs for a while. For mite or lice treatment you probably will not have a withdrawal period.

I put no faith in any of the "natural" treatments. Some of them can have an effect but many are worthless. If I'm treating for something I want to know it works.

Second, what is the best way to combine all these ladies when it's time?

Kind of need to know what your facilities look like in size and how they go together before I can get specific. In general, house them where they can see each other but not harm each other once quarantine is over. After a week or two of the "look but don't touch" try letting them together in the biggest space you can manage when you can observe. if the littles invade the personal space of the bigs they are likely to get pecked or worse so it usually does not take long for them to learn to avoid the bigs. During the day you should see two separate flocks with the littles doing what they can to avoid the bigs. This is why you need room, so they can avoid. At night do not expect the littles to sleep with the bigs until the littles mature enough to start laying. The bigs will probably sleep on the roosts, the littles somewhere else.

EDIT: Another question, because they are eating layer food, and the juveniles are eating grower food, should we feed them separately? is there even a way to do that once they're combined?

There is no way to effectively do that once they are combined. When you finish with your next bag of Layer start feeding all of them a low calcium feed suitable for the chicks. That feed will be fine for the hens except it is low calcium so the hens won't get enough calcium for hard eggshells. Solve that by offering oyster shell on the side as a calcium supplement. The ones that need it for their eggshells should eat enough and the others should not eat enough to harm themselves. Most of us manage it this way.

 

[CollieCountess]

I personally don't like to treat for anything unless I see a specific reason to treat. I don't want to contribute unnecessarily to treatments becoming ineffective. In your circumstances I would not criticize you for doing that. I think it is a reasonable precaution. I think you have a reason.

I'm not going to recommend any specific product, I'm not sure what is available to you. Whatever you use, read the precautions and follow them. If you treat for worms you will probably have a withdrawal period for the eggs. That means you can't eat the eggs for a while. For mite or lice treatment you probably will not have a withdrawal period.

I put no faith in any of the "natural" treatments. Some of them can have an effect but many are worthless. If I'm treating for something I want to know it works.


Kind of need to know what your facilities look like in size and how they go together before I can get specific. In general, house them where they can see each other but not harm each other once quarantine is over. After a week or two of the "look but don't touch" try letting them together in the biggest space you can manage when you can observe. if the littles invade the personal space of the bigs they are likely to get pecked or worse so it usually does not take long for them to learn to avoid the bigs. During the day you should see two separate flocks with the littles doing what they can to avoid the bigs. This is why you need room, so they can avoid. At night do not expect the littles to sleep with the bigs until the littles mature enough to start laying. The bigs will probably sleep on the roosts, the littles somewhere else.


There is no way to effectively do that once they are combined. When you finish with your next bag of Layer start feeding all of them a low calcium feed suitable for the chicks. That feed will be fine for the hens except it is low calcium so the hens won't get enough calcium for hard eggshells. Solve that by offering oyster shell on the side as a calcium supplement. The ones that need it for their eggshells should eat enough and the others should not eat enough to harm themselves. Most of us manage it this way.

So, the facilities aren't done, yet. We had plans to finish them this weekend before the 10 go outside next week.

The coop we are finishing is 12×5. Which will be snug for 15. We have also ordered a 9.8 x 19.6 prefab run to place the coop inside.

We were toying with the idea of free range, but I just can't get behind it, becuase my neighbors dog keeps escaping onto our property.

The 5 additions, are used to free ranging, so they're going to have to continue to do that until we get everything set up to combine the flock, and house everyone this weekend.

The 5 additions have their own coop, which the neighbor is bringing over. They can sleep in there until the littles are big if necessary.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is not free ranging but I use electric netting to give my chickens over 2,000 square feet to roam in outside of the coop and main run. It stops dogs, coyotes, foxes, and such.

I know that coop meets the suggested 4 sq ft per chicken you often see on here but it is small for integration. Integration is so much easier with room. I'm not sure how big that coop is that your neighbor is bringing over. I'd consider housing them separately for a while so they learn which coop is home and they learn to go there to sleep each night. Maybe set it up so they each have their own section of run and can see each other but cannot touch each other.

Then let them mingle. The younger should avoid the older but the older should not make unprovoked attacks. Once they prove to you that they can exist without attacks try moving them into the same coop at night. Don't be in a hurry. Give them time to adjust before you force them together.

 

[Silkiebegins]

So, the facilities aren't done, yet. We had plans to finish them this weekend before the 10 go outside next week.

The coop we are finishing is 12×5. Which will be snug for 15. We have also ordered a 9.8 x 19.6 prefab run to place the coop inside.

We were toying with the idea of free range, but I just can't get behind it, becuase my neighbors dog keeps escaping onto our property.

The 5 additions, are used to free ranging, so they're going to have to continue to do that until we get everything set up to combine the flock, and house everyone this weekend.

The 5 additions have their own coop, which the neighbor is bringing over. They can sleep in there until the littles are big if necessary.

That might be problem with the dogs. Once the dogs figure out your chickens are in your backyard, they will keep escaping into your backyard to try and eat them. Best to get that resolved and make sure your coop is predator proof. If the chicken coop has chicken wire, the dogs will get through that. So you will have to use something else. If the temperatures are hot in your area you want to make sure they get lots of air.

 

[CollieCountess]

That might be problem with the dogs. Once the dogs figure out your chickens are in your backyard, they will keep escaping into your backyard to try and eat them. Best to get that resolved and make sure your coop is predator proof. If the chicken coop has chicken wire, the dogs will get through that. So you will have to use something else. If the temperatures are hot in your area you want to make sure they get lots of air.

The Prefab run is chain link, and we are going to bury some wire so they can't dig under.

It is hot here, but we planned for that with lots of ventilation on the coop itself.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The Prefab run is chain link, and we are going to bury some wire so they can't dig under.

What other predators do you have in your area? Chain link is a good base, but it can be breached by smaller pests and predators, and raccoons can reach in and tear birds apart.

As far as the earlier questions, is this neighbor an adjoining property or very close to you? Unless you're on acreage I wouldn't bother quarantining if that's the case, especially since it doesn't sound like you have a 2nd, completely separate set up to do so - anything their flock has has likely been passed on to your property. You will still want to do a see-but-don't touch at first for 1-2 weeks, for the two groups to meet, but that's not the same as quarantine.

As far as feed, the rule of thumb is to feed the entire flock whatever the youngest birds are eating. Laying hens do just fine on starter or grower with calcium supplemented on the side.