I know that feeling: You’ve been coveting your friend’s beautiful rooster, who’s the perfect match for your hen. Then one day, your friend tells you she just can’t keep him, and wants you to have him. You (of course) give her an enthusiastic “YES!!! YES!!! OF COURSE I WOULD!!!” without giving any thought to where you will put him, how to get him home, or what the rest of your family will say about another chicken. This is a simple rule to help you make sure you get your chickie home happy and safe.
First of all, you must understand my ideas on biosecurity measures. I do not follow most of their standards. I do try to keep my chickens clean and healthy (fresh food and water, plenty of bedding, washing my hands after handling, etc., etc.) but I do not keep separate clothes for handling my birds, in fact, I do the opposite. If I’m walking to the car, no matter how dressed up, I usually end up hugging a chicken. We have not had a chicken die from anything (besides predators) while they have been under my care. Basic biosecurity standards (that’s from my biosecurity calendar) states that ‘New chickens should be kept separate from the rest of the flock for at least two weeks’. And that brings me to my number one rule:
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Separate your new chicken (for a little while).
This is why I explained biosecurity. I do not separate new chickens for two weeks, usually only two days. The best place is a chicken tractor (see http://ultimatechickenownersmanual.blogspot.com/2011/03/6-things-every-chicken-owner-needs-to.html) or a chicken run with a kennel or some sort of shelter/windbreak in it. As long as it’s somewhere that everybody can see the new chicken and work out their differences. Here’s an example from my life:
We rescued 3 hens and a rooster. Naturally they fell to the bottom of the pecking order. 2 months later I got a new bantam rooster. The hen that fell to the very bottom (below her siblings) decided to get above this new rooster. I was very lucky she was tiny and her big brother didn’t decide to fight. Because the new rooster and the hen were able to work out their differences through the fence (so fairly safely) we had no problems when I let him out.
This should help you get you chicken settled in nicely. Just remember to not try and move him around to much to avoid stress. If you have a similar sized chicken at a comfortable level on the pecking order go ahead and put her in with the new chicken, she might exert her dominance once but after that they should get on fine. Good luck and my best wishes!
