When I decide to add to my flock of backyard chickens ( or should I say , chicken , singular , since we were left with a lone Cochin ) , my main concern was making the modulation as stress - free , liquid , and good as possible for all involved .
Integrating chickens into an exist mess can be a nerve - wracking trial by ordeal if you do n’t prepare for it . It ’s not as childlike as stick all the chicken together and hoping for the respectable — mickle have a firmly established pecking edict , and they take that order seriously .
add newcomers will throw that pecking edict out of whack as each biddy has to once again contend for her spot in the stack . This can lead to some serious squabbles among the radical as the aged girls seek to put the fresh , younger girls in their piazza by pecking or picking on them . Yes , even that angelic , docile hen you ’ve had for old age can on the spur of the moment reverse into a base missy if she feels her place in the pecking purchase order threatened !
It ’s usually a knowing idea to contribute as many novel volaille to the batch as there are existing chickens , so that the existing Gallus gallus do n’t outnumber and gang up on the newbies . To keep things comparatively fair and peaceful , I recommend adding a lower limit of two new chickens — but at least three would be near . ( In my subject , this “ rule ” was less crucial since I only had one live poulet , so the big businessman struggle were mostly among the freshman . )
Aside from egos , there ’s another reason flock integrations should be carried out with forethought : biosecurity .
When bringing home new pullets or layers , you launch the risk of also bringing home any infections and other communicable disease from the backyard , provender store , farm , or some other place where you acquire the chickens . Even if you do n’t spot any obvious wellness issue ( such as pallid combs , scaly legs , or signs of louse or mites ) , environmental change can be stressful for a chicken , and this stress can bring out any latent illnesses without warn .
You sure as shooting do n’t want the joy of new chickens overshadow by a problem passed on to your existing flock !
So , how can you keep them all healthy while minimizing the “ Mean Girls ” effect ?
Here are the four round-eyed step I followed to make the transition a secure and felicitous one . ( remark that this guide touch on to to the full feather pullet that can spend the night alfresco ; if you ’re integrating chicks , you ’ll have to collect them each Nox and make for them inside to sleep . )
1. Quarantine
Before introducing the new pullets to my Cochin , I keep open them in quarantine for four weeks . While four weeks may seem like a tenacious metre , particularly since you need to maintain disjoined coops , runs , feeders , and waterers during this meter , it ’s an of import first footmark in every plenty integration . If you need to integrate the flock rather for any reason , you could middling nail any problem within three weeks , but longer is always better .
We used this clock time to identify and keep apart any potential wellness issues that were n’t noticeable at the farm when we pick up the pullets — and it was a good affair we did n’t stir on this . About a week after we brought the novel chickens home , one of them developed a strange sneezy cough . It persisted for several day , even after we tried a few remedies to aid alleviate it .
Since I was flying out of the country in a yoke of months and did n’t require to stick our Gallus gallus - brood hen with a potentially gruesome chicken , we adjudicate to generate her to the farm . The raw fryer that supervene upon her turned out completely hefty — and the quarantine set our mind at ease .
Poultry extension services generally recommend a minimal space of 30 feet for a proper quarantine . The far you could keep your flocks separated , the beneficial it will be for all involve .
I housed the new pullets in a irregular hencoop on the other side of our G , about 40 foot from the main chicken coop . I used thisrabbit hutch , which has spate of space for three pullets to roost . The enclosed run is n’t the spacious , but it ’s utterly ok for them to footle in until we permit them out in the dayspring . We did reward the rabbit shanty with 1/2 - inch hardware textile across the bottom , and added locks to the room access for protection from predators .
( A fillip of take this hutch now is having a big and stout “ hospital coop ” for housing a sick or injured hen . It also make a great brooder cage for chicks , should we ever go that path in the time to come . )
To forbid the pullet from wandering too close to the principal coop , and where our Cochin usually free - ranges during the day , we stop them in thisportable pen . We motivate them around from position to place throughout the workweek , quickly trail them on the fine graphics of garden weeding !
Every evening , we ’d move them back into the hare hut to roost for the night . In the sunrise , we ’d let them out and place them back in the pen with food and water .
We always made certain to feed and handle our Cochin first , then flow and cover the new chicken so we would n’t inadvertently transmit any infections to her . During the day , this also think washing our mitt and transfer our clothes if we needed to bounce back and off between the flocks .
2. Diet Supplementation
Adjusting to a fresh home , new feed , and new mob can be hard on a chicken . To boost their resistant systems , I added finely chopped garlic and a few key herbs to the flock ’s daily feed .
novel , finely chop garlic release allicin , an organosulfur compound and powerful antimicrobial that is up to of killing common bacterium and fungus kingdom associated with chickens , such as Salmonella , Staphylococcus , Candida , and Aspergillus .
When left out for some fourth dimension , the allicin eventuallydegrades and becomes a accumulation of second generation organosulfidesthat help control parasites . ( If you like geeking out on this stuff and nonsense , here ’s aninteresting inquiry paperthat delves into the anti - parasitical effects of these organosulfides . ) A good way to take advantage of this wonder of science is to add a low clove of ail to each dry quart of your wimp ’ drinking water . That way , they bear on to reap the benefits of garlic long after they ’ve eaten the freshly hack garlic .
For the herbs , I typically habituate what I have grow in my garden . These are not the only ones you’re able to use , but are easily accessible and useful supplements for all chickens , not just Modern ones you ’re wreak home .
In addition to the fresh ail and fresh herbs , I used a commercially available poultry remedy calledVetRxon all the pullets . It ’s a natural oil indicated for the treatment of respiratory issues , such as gasping , sneeze , and cough . Because of the occult coughing from one of the frier , I decide to treat the whole pile with VetRx to repress their risk of contracting a possible infection . ( Note that this extra step is n’t necessary for most great deal consolidation . )
I warmed the VetRx , as advised in the package counsel , and rubbed it all over their grimace and under their wings . It smell out godlike and all of them turn out perfectly healthy by the end of their quarantine .
3. Look, But Don’t Touch
After being assured that the new chickens had a clean bill of health , it was time to introduce them to our Cochin , slowly but for sure .
We started by moving their portable penitentiary closer to the independent cage , where our Cochin cast during the day . We made sure to render muckle of food and water inside the penitentiary , as well as adequate protection from sun and jazz . The goal ’s to allow all the chickens to check each other out — but from a safe distance where they ca n’t peck at one another .
The exist chickens ( and likely other household members ! ) will be quite curious about the neophyte , but after 7 to 10 days , the newness will set about to wear out off , plant the degree for a final integration .
If your existing chickens are kept in an enclosed run , you’re able to section off a part of it with chicken wire or hardware cloth to make a freestanding area for the fresh pullets and keep the big biddy out . you’re able to also place achicken playpen , dog crateful , rabbit shanty , puppy playpen , or interchangeable enclosure inside the streamlet ( or just outside the runnel , powerful against a paries ) to put up the pullets during this “ depend , but do n’t equal ” phase angle .
enclosure direct inside piranha - proof runs can serve as transitional all-night housing for frier until they bulge to rest with the rest of the flock . But if your run is not unafraid , recall to bring them back to their impermanent coop each night .
If your coop is large enough to accommodate an enclosure , feel gratuitous to drop it right in there , as it helps the newbies learn where home is . At nighttime , you could leave them where they are ( rather of returning them to their temporary chicken coop for roosting ) until they ’re ready for the next step .
4. One Big Happy Family
In 7 to 10 days , you’re able to finally let the little unity out into the general population . To fill out the process smoothly , the main point to keep in mind isdistraction .
You do n’t want your chickens to be so world-weary that all they can do is bully the newbies . ( Yes , even the ones that seemed so easygoing during “ look , but do n’t touching ” can turn into total drama queens in an instant ! )
For free - graze flocks , the solution is simple : just let them do what they do . Toss out a few treats and watch them for a few moment to make trusted no dire conflict turn out . All the chicken will be so preoccupied with pecking , call off , searching for germ , and scrounge the grounds that they wo n’t have time or interest in picking a engagement .
Flocks that spend fourth dimension in an enclosed run will need some form of entertainment to keep busy . I like to advocate that before you merge the two groups , rearrange the tally by adding or removing branches , ladder , rocks , and other component for your Gallus gallus to perch on or hide under . A fresh environment encourage exploration and becomes more of a neutral zone , since every flock member then has to restore her territory .
Other Ideas for distraction :
In the even , check that the pullets know where to rest . You may have to pick them up and place them on the roost , as it could take them a couple days to learn to put themselves to seam .
So, To Recap:
What happens if the fuss wo n’t cease ? you may split up the two groups for a few more Day , then try again with Step 4 . Overly aggressive hen may need to be murder from the plenty and put in time - out ( such as a temporary cage , crate , or playpen ) for a mean solar day or two . When they ’re regress to the flock , they ’re unremarkably too interfering attempt to retrieve their place in the pecking gild to continue their bullying .
All together , full desegregation pick out about five week but do n’t sudate it if it takes a little longer than planned . Eventually , the girls will act it out and your razz will be flocking together peacefully !
