Our neighbor Bob start his wimp peck shortly after moving to our township five or so geezerhood ago . He was very excited to leave the metropolis for biography in the country . Bob could n’t look to desex up the property ’s rundown coop and keep hens of his own .
It was n’t long before we saw Bob ’s flock contentedly foraging on his lawn . Bob eagerly cover his new lifestyle and his new hobby of poultry keeping . He ’d stop by every now and then to narrate us about his girl ’ put-on and to postulate advice about feeder , layer rations and supplement .
He enthusiastically joined dozens of online chicken radical . oftentimes , he wax poetical about the exotic breeds he hoped to own one day .
I was therefore surprised to unexpectedly regain Bob parked in my driveway when I arrive home from errand tardy one break of day . I was even more shocked to discover he was very visibly disquieted … and cradling a towel - wrapped bundle in his limb .
Inside the towel was a young biddy , her wattle and comb very bloody . The origin matt-up the plumage around her brass . She held her optic tightly shut . This misfortunate young lady looked like she ’d been on the wrong end of a street brawl .
Read more : verify to include these items in your chicken first - aid outfit .
An Unpleasant Welcome
It turned out that I was n’t too far off in my initial evaluation . Bob explained that a member of his on-line chicken chemical group had decided to sell off his slew of Swedish Flower Hens . Bob rise at the chance to own one of his dream stock . He bought a year - old biddy and arranged to have her ship overnight .
Eager to add her to his existing flock , he waited until it was gloomy and his shuttlecock were asleep , then slipped her into his coop . When he give out to bring out his flock in the morning , he was horror-struck to find several of his hens ’ beaks streak with blood . The short little newcomer cower in a nestbox , baste and bleeding .
I cleaned up the miserable hen as well as I could , then placed her in a composition board carton with great deal of shaving , a small dish of food , and a canning - jar waterer doctored up with electrolytes . Once she last loose and finalize down , I sat down with Bob , who was jolly calm now that his booty pullet was resting .
As gently as I could , given the pitiful guy ’s aroused land , I went over a few essential points regarding introducing a new shuttlecock to an existing mess .
Do the Pre-Lims
Before you consider adding a volaille to your flock , especially one that was previously possess , make certain you expect as many questions as possible to determine the health and condition of the hen in question . This is peculiarly true if you are buying a bird sight unseen from an online origin and wo n’t have the opportunity to examine it in someone for yourself .
weigh asking the following :
hold the reply to these questions will give you a respectable estimate of what you ’re actually buy . Do n’t forget to request photos or a video clip of the snort in enquiry . Walk away if the seller refuses to provide any visuals .
Ask for referrals to ensure your seller is reputable . If the vendor endure in another State Department , check your own state’sNational Poultry Improvement Plan(NPIP ) necessity to assure your leverage does not violate any laws .
Mandatory Isolation
Even if you get confidence that your bird is the healthiest wimp around , it ’s crucial that youkeep your Modern bird separatefrom your existing flock for at least 30 days . Housing for your fledgling during this isolation period should be at least 30 feet away from your established coop and run to foreclose contaminant by airborne agents .
A one - month closing off period will give any illnesses your fresh bird may have brought along meter to manifest . introduce a newcomer any preferably can start the risk of taint your spate with an imported status that might venture their wellness … and living .
scan more : Here are 4 steps to help you as you integrate novel chickens into the flock .
Gentle Introduction
Once the isolation period is over , your new chick is ready to join your flock . But your flock may not be ready for a Modern member .
Anything unfamiliar can be very disruptive to the exist social order of an establish flock . Furthermore , if your birds are territorial or if you have a rooster , the fledgling may be visualize as an encroacher and consider with accordingly by your flock .
The most successful method of introducing a young poulet is by first getting the birdie accustomed to each other visually . Set up a irregular playpen close to your peck ’s political campaign so the birds can see each other on a regular basis .
After a workweek or so , move the pen into your mickle ’s run . This allows the chickens to be closer together , on your troop ’s household turf . But it also maintain protective covering of the newcomer .
After another calendar week , transfer the temporary playpen so that the new biddy can spend the solar day with your slew . But be indisputable to return her to her own pen every evening .
finally your new girl will be fully integrated . At dusk , she will follow your mass into their coop — now her chicken coop as well — for the night . This might take anywhere from a day to a couple of week
In his turmoil to add a Swedish Flower Hen to his flock , Bob forewent most of these preliminaries . bad , he fall out advice he ’d seen in one of his online radical : sneak a fresh bird into your hencoop at nighttime and , in the morning , the other birds will treat her as if she ’d always been there .
He — and the short hen — sadly experienced the upshot of that advice first handwriting .
Fortunately , the Swedish Flower Hen , whom Bob identify Petal , convalesce completely . And after Bob follow my advice regarding a slow consolidation , she became a message phallus of his flock . So did several other hens he added after her .
