When is the best time to get new hens?

[Sue]

Hi everyone, please could you give me some advice. I want to get two more hens to go with my others that arrived in March. Would it be better to wait until next spring to get them, or should I just go ahead and get them now? They will obviously be younger than the 3 they will be introduced to (they are now 11 months), but they have a covered run available if it's wet. Just wondered whether there was any point getting them now as they probably won't lay many eggs through the winter will they? Still not sure whether to get POL hybrids or not as I can't seem to find any POL Sussex in my area, which is what I really wanted.

 

[Aileen]

I think you can get hens any time of year, its the gradual integration for new and old that is paramount. You know the quarantine of the newbies for 3-4 weeks to ensure they aren't carrying any lurgies, isolation for a fortnight, then with their gradual mixing over week 3-4 .
Goodluck.
Don't know if you have saw my post of yesterday but after 3 years of no fox hassle he has wiped me out within a 6 week period.. so I am chookless and somewhat emotional at the minute! Keep thinking about the awful end my little girls met...
Anyhoo! Watch this space, I am taking a time out for the time being so won't be about for a while so I look forward to hearing all about your new ladies when I next log on.
Take care x

 

[Marigold]

The best time to get them is when the place you rate the highest has the birds you want at the age you want them to be! At this end of the summer, there are plenty of birds about, and many people are hoping to reduce their stock before the winter. Whereas if you wait until the Spring for purebreds, you may have to wait again until at least late June - early July if you want POL Sussex as they won't be available until 4 months after hatching, and incubation adds another 3 weeks to this timespan. However, this Spring I bought a couple of 5-week-old chicks, which have now just started to lay, and it's been very rewarding watching them develop through the summer. At 5 weeks old, they were off heat and in a grass pen, and also my choice of a Buff Sussex and a Cream Legbar, both autosexing breeds, meant I was sure to finish up with two hens, not an unwanted cockerel. Of course they were very much cheaper as chicks than good POL purebreds would have been. If you buy POL birds now, they should be in lay before the winter, if you can get them at least 18 weeks old so they come into lay by the end of October, with luck. Alternatively, you might be able to find some growers, and let them mature over the winter, ready for an early start to laying in Spring. I suppose it really depends on how much you need those extra eggs over the winter, and also how much your need for new hens is just a symptom of developing chickenitis!

 

[Sue]

It's definitely just chickenitis Marigold!!! As well as that, I am thinking of my 3 hens in a house meant for 6-8 hens over the winter, I would rather there were more to snuggle up in the cold! I have received an email tonight from a breeder who has Sussex available, they have speckled and light at POL now and buff a bit younger. I didn't realise that buff sussex were an autosexing breed, so I have learn something today. I knew the legbar was. Can I just get some other opinions regarding Aileen's regime for new hens. I respect her opinion, but I don't have the room to have separate runs/houses. I already have had to build a new pen (and buy a new house - the 'Green Frog', which was a really good choice by the way - thank you Marigold) and I can't separate new hens. I have some 'Omlet' netting that I can use to separate off a section of the run, but they will have to go into the house at night with the others. Am I asking for trouble? I don't want to put either my current hens or the new hens at risk, so what I'm asking is if there is any other way I can do the introductions. The hens I am going to put them with are really gentle, placid hens with no real 'top bird', they all get on really well and never have a go at each other at all over anything, not even food. Am I expecting too much of them, hoping they will accept the new, younger birds fairly easily? I've had enough problems with my wyandotte (who's still broody by the way, but prolapse hasn't reoccurred), I don't want to introduce a whole new problem if I can help it. There must be people who have introduced new hens into an existing flock, who don't have the room to separate them. As always, I respect all the views/opinions of all the experienced people here who also have 'chickenitis'!!!!

 

[Chuck]

It's hard to anticipate how the new birds will be accepted. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes not. Most agree that they should be introduced after dark so they wake up together and many people spray them all with perfume of some kind. Someone experienced came to buy some young Andalusians and Leghorns from me the other day who said they always put a small blob of Vick on the legs ! They assured me it has always worked for them. What ever you get, make sure they have all been reared together & they need to be isolated for a week at least in case they have any infections lurking and check them over for external parasites.

Now is a good time to get POL as they should come into lay soon to give you winter eggs. The Sussex will take longer to come into lay than hybrids. Buff Sussex are not autosexing but you can cross them with Light Sussex (Buff male on Light hens) to produce sex linked chicks (Buff females, white males at hatching). If you want a good supply of eggs you'll need to make sure they are Utility Sussex and not show stock, most of which have become very poor layers.

Early hatched chickens are considered to be the best as they've had the long summer days to grow on.

 

[Sue]

Has anyone on here introducted new hens without isolating them first?

 

[Marigold]

It depends on what you mean by isolating them. I've always divided my run lengthways with netting and provided temporary roosting accomodation for the new ones, (ie a box with woodshavings in, placed under cover.) but this has always been because I've got them quite young, as growers or 16-week-old POL, and because I wanted to keep them on growers food and give them a chance to get to settle in and get to know the others through the mesh for a week or two. So they haven't been entirely isolated in a separate run, but have had their share of the space which will be available to them when the partition is removed. The mesh has to be quite high, or the hens tend to fly over it, in one direction or the other! But now I've sorted it out, I have a kit in store of netting and bamboo canes, the right size for my run, ready to use whenever I need to section off part of the run, which is useful.

As to 'quarantine,' i think again this depends on several factors - if I'd bought them from a sale or a market, where they'd had a lot of stress and possibly come into contact with dirty pens or other poor-quality birds, i would feel I needed to be sure they were OK and would quarantine them for this reason. But since I get mine from a known and trusted supplier of home-bred poultry, and they've been vaccinated, I have no concerns about their health and wouldn't consider this very important in itself

I don't think you know until you try, whether the 'friendly' older hens will take to new ones easily or not - when i got my two 16-week-olds this Spring, the worst bully was the previously bottom-of-the-heap meek-as-milk Speckledy, who was truly terrifying, so much so that I had to rehome her! But the two new ones were white hens, introduced to a pen with darker ones, and I have read that a big colour difference can cause problems when integrating newbies. But if you do all the right things, and your present hens aren't too old and set in their ways, it should go OK.

 

[Marigold]

Buff Sussex are not autosexing but you can cross them with Light Sussex (Buff male on Light hens) to produce sex linked chicks (Buff females, white males at hatching). quote]

that was what I meant by autosexing - just my lazy way of expressing myself. Anyway, it's a very good way of getting truly beautiful female birds as chicks - my Buff Sussex is fantastic, with her large frilly petticoat of lovely buff fluffy feathers round her bum, and beautiful necklace of black-tipped feathers. Yes, definitely go for it, Sue, they'll certainly be good hot water bottles for the others in the winter!
(Mind you, she's not very bright - my little Legbar has much higher I.Q and has to explain everything to her big golden friend and tell her where to go and what to do.)

PS Glad you like the Frog.

 

[Sue]

Marigold, can I do this without having to quarantine them for 2 weeks? I'm going to look at them today, they're only 14 weeks at the moment, so wouldn't have them for a couple of weeks yet. I don't have another area to keep quarantined hens. I do have the hen house that I bought the 'frog' to replace and could set up a small are within the run of the other hens, but they would be right next to them, only separated by a netting fence.

 

[Aileen]

That may well be enough, just so they can't do any damage to each other, can I suggest sticking tylan and or ACV into their water as it will give them a boost / fight off any bugs during a period that will be stresful for all of them ???
I don't have much room either, I actually bought a guinea pig cage and run for my "isolation" wing I paid full whack for mine as I also have guinea pigs which meant I could utilise it after integration period, but if you were worried about chooks fighting you could maybe pick one up second hand???

 

[Marigold]

Marigold, can I do this without having to quarantine them for 2 weeks? I'm going to look at them today, they're only 14 weeks at the moment, so wouldn't have them for a couple of weeks yet. I don't have another area to keep quarantined hens. I do have the hen house that I bought the 'frog' to replace and could set up a small are within the run of the other hens, but they would be right next to them, only separated by a netting fence.

If you like them, why not get them at 14 weeks? - then use the time they're shut away from direct contact with your other hens to give them a few more weeks on growers pellets (see if the breeder will sell you about 10kg ie half a bag, so you keep them on this until it's used up by about 20 weeks or so.)

As to whether it would be 'safe' to keep them next to your present hens in the same run, that's a decision for you to take, but if you're happy with conditions at the breeder when you inspect the place, and if you have a good look at the pullets, powder them well with redmite stuff when they arrive, and they're obviously in good condition, personally I'd go for it. If I had any doubts about the breeder's setup or the state of the pullets I would't buy them anyway.

 

[Sue]

Have been to see them today. The set up is good, all the pullets look healthy and well cared for. They had plenty of room (inside and out), in very large walk in field shelters with chopped straw on the floor, seemed like a deep litter system in operation, they had access to very large grass areas with free access to the shelters. They were kept in groups by age, all breeds together (quite a lot of birds together, but as I say they had plenty of room) with perches available inside. I have chosen a buff sussex and a red sussex and they have been ringed. The breeder was very nice, seemed very genuine and wasn't at all pushy. He didn't even want a deposit. He is going to keep them for 3 weeks, as I have 2 weeks off work then and felt this would be an ideal time to have them. The ones I've chosen were particularly active and inquisitive and a good size and weight. They are vaccinated and wormed regularly. He offered any follow up help or advice if needed. I may also have a light sussex if there are any available when I collect, as they looked very nice as well. He also asked us to wash our boots in disinfectant before we entered the area. I certainly didn't have any concerns about buying from him. He suggested putting them straight in with the others after dark. Marigold, I didn't really want to bring home young birds as I don't have a covered or sheltered area for them, they would have to go in a house out in the open run and I didn't feel this was right, especially as the weather isn't going to be particularly good this week.

 

[Marigold]

That sounds excellent, how satisfying to have discovered a place you feel really happy about, with good service and support for you as a customer as well. Enjoy your new girls - and post us some photos when they arrive!

 

[victorias poultry]

Hi Sue
It is always best to isolate new birds for at least 3 weeks from your existing stock, good luck with your new purchase, anytime of year is fine to get birds but if young they will probably not start laying until next year

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Sue. Being young birds you may find they lay right through Winter as ours did -bit slower than usual though, being an egg every two days or so. So if they are about 15 weeks now you may be lucky and start getting some eggs at end of November.

 

[Sue]

Thank you for all your replies. I have to say, I am now very worried about whether I have done the right thing in deciding to get these new hens! I am worried about introducing something nasty to my existing hens as I would hate to lose those just because of trying to introduce new hens! I just don't have anywhere I can put an isolation 'unit', even though I have a spare house, I don't have anywhere for a safe run. I would have been able to do this if I hadn't had to separate my potty wyandotte, but now don't have any spare space! I'm now getting so worried about it that I may have to cancel.

 

[Marigold]

Well, that's your decision, but it would be a pity to have to do this, when you've found lovely birds from a suitable place. I don't really see why, if you have a spare house, you can't just section your run and let them roost in the spare coop? It won't get really cold until the end of November, and if you get them in 3 weeks time, and then keep them separate for a couple of weeks, that'll take you about to the end of September. If you could get a couple of supports of some kind, and a top to go over them, maybe you could make a temporary covered shelter, quite small, where you could put their food in the dry, and they could go in there if they wanted shade or shelter from the rain. From what you say about the setup, it sounds as if they're acclimatised to an outdoor life, so they wouldn't be bothered if the accomodation wasn't 4*! I really do think that living alongside the other hens is very good for them when they come to be integrated - the growers I kept this summer alongside my hybrids were part of the flock very quickly, with no more than the odd peck to keep them in order from the big girls, and they're all good friends now. As to health, well, you know enough about hens by now to know what to look for, and really it's quite unlikely you'll have any trouble, it's not as if you've bought them from a market, or are taking pity on some you wanted to rescue from a poor background.

Nothing in life is certain, except the passing of time and the loss of opportunities!

 

[Sue]

Thanks for the 'good talking too' Marigold! You're right of course, I'm much too cautious and worry too much about my animals! I will go for it. I'm going into B & Q tomorrow to get some cheap wood to make a shelter for them. I have everything else - the house and I can use my 'Omlet' netting to separate them. I already have spare feeders/drinkers. You're right about the weather, it was so cold and windy where they are and they really didn't like the wind at all. They would have a much more sheltered area here, the only thing they won't have is grass, but at least they'll have some individual attention!

 

[Marigold]

Sorry if i sounded bossy, Sue, i didn't mean to! Comes of being a teacher (and a mum) I'm afraid. You might try the local dump, to get supplies for your temp. shelter, eg a piece of discarded corrugated roofing for the top of the shelter, plus surplus wood. At least, once you've sorted this out, you'll have the 'kit' for future occasions, as otherwise this problem will recur whenever you want to segregate hens or newbies. just a thought - is your old house free from redmite? Don't want to make problems!

By the way, what's happening to your Dotte? Any chance of reintegrating her, now she's been on her own for some time, and the others will have revamped the pecking order?

 

[Sue]

No need to apologise Marigold, I asked for opinions and that's what I wanted. Your right about having the 'kit' for future, that's exactly what I though. I was going to sell the spare house, even had it advertised this weekend, but decided just in time that I should keep it. No red mite in the house, haven't had the 'pleasure' of meeting any red mite yet, thank goodness!

I did consider reintegrating Potty Dotte and her companion the legbar back into the main run where they started and putting new hens in their current run (which would have saved the fuss of quarantine etc), but decided that they were happy just the two of them, no squabbling at all and the other three have a very silent pecking order, they get on really well together, nobody is the real boss, they just follow each other around and are happy to share everything. As Potty Dotte seems to be constantly broody, it's easier to have her with just one other hen, then she's not taking up space in a nest box the others use to actually lay eggs!!!! She's been a challenge ever since she arrived, pecks me and screams at me several times a day when I throw her out of the house and then has a temper tantrum, she sounds just like woody woodpecker (if you know who I mean!) but I find her quite amusing and am actually quite attached to her in a strange sort of way (usually with her beak attached to my finger!!!!!)