Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[memphisto]

We have had our trio of a light sussex, bluebelle and a black rock for just over a week now and yesterday, we bought 2 brown chickens, as we had contracted the more-chickens bug and fell in love with 2 we saw at the place we got our girls from.

 

The trio have been free ranging from the morning after we got them and are really happy ladies,they spend all day out and take themselves to bed at 7:15 every night. They've become very social, coming in the house, eating from hands, great with my 2 year old boy, Dilys steals shreddies from him and my son is constantly trying to get me to make 'extra' for the chickens 'more for kickins mummy?'.

 

We chose our trio because they came up to us when we were choosing them and just seemed to choose us and likeiwse with the 2 we got yesterday, though we wanted them anyway as they are so cute!

 

We brought our 2 newbies home and they were initially segregated in the coup and pen whilst the others were free ranging. The trio seemed quite interested and kept bok boking at them. We did have what we intended to be as a short introduction, but the intial pecking subsided after about 2 pecks from each one and they were happily eating from the feeder together. All 5 took themselves to bed together. The two new ones were in the nest boxes and the other three on the perch. Reluctantly, we did leave them together, but checked in on them every half an hour til midnight (luckily we were kept awake for my in-laws arriving back from hols and wanting to pick their car up) and all was fine each time.

 

Went down this morning and expected to find some evidence of a fight but nothing, checked over all the girls and no-one has drawn blood on anyone.

 

Penned off the side garden for the new girls today and put the trio in the main garden. Somehow the newbies got into the main garden and before long were in the house with Dilys and Penny in tow, chased them and they all went off free ranging together, no s"Ooops, word censored!"s, no squabbles, nothing. Now they are all sunbathing together.

 

I've treated all my girls with powders, wormers etc but can't help thinking what if the newbies have disease and now brought that into the other three.

 

I did call the place I got them from but the 'chicken man' as they put it is off today but the young girl said 'Oh they're all from the same farm so they'll be OK'. I knew they were from the same place but I can't see that being a cast iron guarantee of hens being disease free!

 

I am notsure now whether I should seperate them again, even though they are getting on fine or just leave them to it?

 

Any ideas?

[HENthusiastic]

I know the official word, is two weeks segregation in case of bugs and infections, but id say, leave well alone. If they have got anything, its probably passed by now anyway. If I were you, id cross my fingers and think myself lucky I've had such a friendly good natured bunch of girls

[Redwing]

No it was not the right thing to do but I think you know that already

 

What is done is done though and there isnt much you can do about it now so just keep an eye on things. but do bear it in mind for the future as many early chicken keeping experiences end in tears through bullying or illness and you may not get so lucky next time