Integrating new hens - advice needed

  • 38 Replies
  • 8672 Views
*

Lloyd

  • New Member
  • *
  • 31
Re: Integrating new hens - advice needed
« Reply #30 on: January 30, 2012, 23:37 »
Absolutely!  :)
"Fine words butter no parsnips". John Major.

*

ANHBUC

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: North East England
  • 8045
  • "You looking at me?!!!"
Re: Integrating new hens - advice needed
« Reply #31 on: January 31, 2012, 00:07 »
Note sure!  If they have worms they might be passed on with them pooing on the same ground.  If they have mites they could be on feathers dropped.  :(
Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens!
Bagpuss RIP 1992 - June 2012, 1 huge grass carp (RIP "Jaws" July 2001 - December 2011), 4 golden orfe, 1 goldfish and 1 fantail fish (also huge)! plus 4 Italian quail, 1 Japanese quail, 1 Rosetta quail.

*

Touché Turtle

  • New Member
  • *
  • Location: Colchester Essex
  • 37
Re: Integrating new hens - advice needed
« Reply #32 on: January 31, 2012, 11:19 »
Note sure!  If they have worms they might be passed on with them pooing on the same ground.  If they have mites they could be on feathers dropped.  :(

Hmm, this is what I was wondering.

*puts thinking cap on and goes away to come up with a solution..."
Touché Away......!

*

viettaclark

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Southampton
  • 1966
Re: Integrating new hens - advice needed
« Reply #33 on: January 31, 2012, 23:56 »
I have always got my pol hens from the same supplier and they are innoculated, wormed etc. so I buy in pairs and put straight in the coop at night. Then I leave them in late in the morning......11ish (don't worry.....it doesn't hurt them to go without food and water for a bit!) and they get to know each other.
They fight when they come out into the run because of food. Make sure there are plenty of pellet/water stations. I let mine out into the garden straight away because they don't fight so much in a large area. The new ones went to bed with the others on the first night although they had to wait at the bottom of the ladder until allowed in (So funny!).
Fighting isn't usually too bad although one of my uppity new girls had her comb badly pecked which meant lots of blood but it went black very quickly so there wasn't a pecking frenzy. You can always use purple spray for nasty pecks.
Of course there can be problems but you can deal with it quickly if you keep a watchful eye. It's just establishing the pecking order and although your heart is in your mouth worrying, they usually get on with it naturally and you have a cohesive happy flock in a couple of weeks.

.

*

Touché Turtle

  • New Member
  • *
  • Location: Colchester Essex
  • 37
Re: Integrating new hens - advice needed
« Reply #34 on: February 01, 2012, 08:17 »
I have always got my pol hens from the same supplier and they are innoculated, wormed etc. so I buy in pairs and put straight in the coop at night....

Well I was reading my supplier's website last night and she says the same thing. As they're inoculated and wormed all should be well.
To be honest, this would be easier as I don't have any way of giving them a separate bit of garden for 3 weeks.

aargg! quandry!

*

viettaclark

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Southampton
  • 1966
Re: Integrating new hens - advice needed
« Reply #35 on: February 01, 2012, 10:03 »
I suppose if you get a written guarantee from that supplier and your new hens are carrying some terrible disease she will be liable anyway.........
I presonally have no room to house separately and it does drag the process out.
However I do realise why the experts advise a quarrantine.....

*

ANHBUC

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: North East England
  • 8045
  • "You looking at me?!!!"
Re: Integrating new hens - advice needed
« Reply #36 on: February 01, 2012, 18:40 »
I suppose if you get a written guarantee from that supplier and your new hens are carrying some terrible disease she will be liable anyway.........
I presonally have no room to house separately and it does drag the process out.
However I do realise why the experts advise a quarrantine.....

They may replace the new hens but what about your old hens who could be infected!   :(

*

viettaclark

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Southampton
  • 1966
Re: Integrating new hens - advice needed
« Reply #37 on: February 01, 2012, 23:34 »
You would have a good case to replace all the hens in this situation and NOT from that supplier. The supplier could be busted and would certainly need to treat their hens before selling more. We're talking INFECTIOUS disease here because we're assuming basic stuff like innoculations and parasites have been sorted.
All the suppliers I know have good facilities for quarantine and are vigilant in the care of their flocks bur you do of course get bad suppliers.
In this case we're talking about 3 hens and introducing 2 from a known supplier whereas with a large flock there could be a greater problem.
I'm not knocking quarantine....it just doesn't work for me......... or my hens :D

*

joyfull

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: lincolnshire
  • 22168
    • Monarch Engineering Ltd
Re: Integrating new hens - advice needed
« Reply #38 on: February 02, 2012, 07:18 »
Please remember that no matter how good anybodies husbandry is wild birds can and do pass on infectious illnesses through both contact and droppings. I would also ask what vaccinations they have administered as there are so many and most breeders don't vaccinate for everything. Also remember that some vaccines have such a short timespan from opening the bottle to administering the vaccine before it becomes no use (Mareks for example has a viable timespan of 1.5 hours only)  .
A good breeder who does vaccinate should be able to provide all the vaccine details, batch numbers and dates etc.
Staffies are softer than you think.


xx
Advice needed Integrating chicks

Started by georget on The Hen House

2 Replies
1206 Views
Last post July 01, 2014, 17:21
by georget
xx
Advice needed please. Is it just my hens .....

Started by symonep on The Hen House

18 Replies
5645 Views
Last post December 24, 2012, 21:17
by ANHBUC
xx
Advice Needed New Hens

Started by scampy on The Hen House

2 Replies
1438 Views
Last post May 11, 2008, 15:06
by scampy
xx
Introducing Hens - Advice Needed!

Started by Burtie on The Hen House

13 Replies
4560 Views
Last post November 12, 2008, 22:14
by babe
 

Page created in 0.258 seconds with 34 queries.

Powered by SMFPacks Social Login Mod
Powered by SMFPacks SEO Pro Mod |