Last night I added 8 new hens all roughly 10 months old. To my main coop of 1 roo and 10 hens who have all been together for a year or 2. I also took the opportunity to relocate my Welsummer roo that got frostbite 6 weeks ago back into the flock.
I always quarantine new chickens but due to the large number I was adding and that they were coming from a breeder that I have gotten most of my other birds from I did not quarantine this time. I wormed all the chickens with Valbazan and dusted them with poultry dust and sprayed their vents with poultry protector.This included the chickens already in the coop. I will do a second worming with Safeguard in 7 days. I will also be vigilant on checking for mites and respraying the vent areas. These are the only pests that I feel I need to eradicate. I was planning on worming this spring anyway.
I would like to report that the move was very successful. I managed to mess up their pecking order to the extent that they all had to start over. Not much fighting or pecking. The ratio of 2 roos to 20 hens is a good one. My coop is large enough to give them plenty of room. The roos grew up together and were mostly interested in courting the hens with finding treats for them.
What I found interesting was how correct the saying "Birds of a feather flock together" is. I now have Bantam Ameracunas, Bantam Welsummers, Bantam New Hampshires, Bantam Cochins, and Bantam Cuckoo Marans all in the same coop. They all segregate themselves by breed. Even my pen of excess roos made up of Bantam Blue Wheaten Ameracunas and Wheaten Ameracunas divide themselves by color.
I hope anyone else who is integrating new birds will have the success that I have had. I will be keeping an extra eye on them to make sure that all continues to go well. Don't forget that it is smart to take precautions and quarantine.
I always quarantine new chickens but due to the large number I was adding and that they were coming from a breeder that I have gotten most of my other birds from I did not quarantine this time. I wormed all the chickens with Valbazan and dusted them with poultry dust and sprayed their vents with poultry protector.This included the chickens already in the coop. I will do a second worming with Safeguard in 7 days. I will also be vigilant on checking for mites and respraying the vent areas. These are the only pests that I feel I need to eradicate. I was planning on worming this spring anyway.
I would like to report that the move was very successful. I managed to mess up their pecking order to the extent that they all had to start over. Not much fighting or pecking. The ratio of 2 roos to 20 hens is a good one. My coop is large enough to give them plenty of room. The roos grew up together and were mostly interested in courting the hens with finding treats for them.
What I found interesting was how correct the saying "Birds of a feather flock together" is. I now have Bantam Ameracunas, Bantam Welsummers, Bantam New Hampshires, Bantam Cochins, and Bantam Cuckoo Marans all in the same coop. They all segregate themselves by breed. Even my pen of excess roos made up of Bantam Blue Wheaten Ameracunas and Wheaten Ameracunas divide themselves by color.
I hope anyone else who is integrating new birds will have the success that I have had. I will be keeping an extra eye on them to make sure that all continues to go well. Don't forget that it is smart to take precautions and quarantine.
