Author Topic: Mixed chicken flocks? (Read 3151 times)

ponylady · « **on:** July 21, 2015, 07:45:26 am »

Does anyone run a mixed flock? All together? In the same run? I have warrens, light Sussex, amber star, blue haze and bantams all together. The bantams are in runs for their own safety, but their all together behind the same poultry fencing. The warrens are ringed so I know which year I got them. Any newbies are added to the mix, after an appropriate quarantine/introduction.
Only I've just read on a poultry breeders web site, that this is a bad thing to do! Or are they just being cautious and very specific with the warranty the offer with their birds?
Opinions please

lord flynn · « **Reply #1 on:** July 21, 2015, 09:14:54 am »

Some poultry breeders dislike mixing stock of different ages and some (including myself) won't mix vaccinated and unvaccinated stock. If you are breeding then there are obvious disadvantages with multiple breeds all in together! Many also won't buy in stock, as sometimes even after quarantine, new birds have been found to bring stuff in with them and I won't quarantine new birds for less than 6 weeks now (its as much for the bought in birds as the existing ones too remember).

Bramham Wiltshire Horns · « **Reply #2 on:** July 21, 2015, 09:55:09 am »

i have 11 hens of all different breeds and all seem fine together, seperated my breeding hens and will be added 6 more to my flock in the next week or so
suppose it depends what your doing with them, i use mine for differwent colour eggs

Eve · « **Reply #3 on:** July 21, 2015, 11:01:07 am »

I have mixed flocks, though I don't buy vaccinated stock as mine aren't vaccinated either. I have bantams living with large fowl but there's no large cockerel in with them, I would separate them if there was.

chrismahon · « **Reply #4 on:** July 21, 2015, 12:14:15 pm »

We don't buy any immunised birds now and quarantine them for as long as it takes to be happy about integrating. The last pair were 2 months, which is how long to took to clear the lice and get them breathing and pooing properly.

We don't mix flocks at all. Ours are in small self-contained units and have been for a long time. The big advantage is a fox strike doesn't take out everything, just the one enclosure broken into. We've had three strikes in England, each time we lost just a few of the 30 birds.

They only vaccinate for Newcastle Disease here. It is a dead virus and the vaccination has to be renewed annually if you show. The only thing I know is transmitted from bought in birds is Mycoplasma and it is very common.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #5 on:** July 21, 2015, 01:31:24 pm »

We only buy in hatching eggs, having inadvertently bought in a bird with avian leukosis some years ago (showed no signs during six weeks' quarantine). I have some lighter birds, like Cotswold Legbars, and mix them only with the large, soft-feathered fowl if they're able to free range during the day, as they'll be bullied otherwise.

Stereo · « **Reply #6 on:** July 21, 2015, 02:22:41 pm »

We have breeding pens and one large flock of mungrels. It tends to be the sub standard hens from our hatchings which lay OK but are not suitable for breeding. Aside from the vaccination issue (ours are not), the only thing I would worry about is small hens such as leghorns with a large cockerel like a Marans or Sussex. A couple years ago we had a young CLB injured badly when being trodden by a Marans. Had to put her down in the end so lesson learned there.

Kimbo · « **Reply #7 on:** July 21, 2015, 07:05:35 pm »

Same as Stereo here

devonlady · « **Reply #8 on:** July 22, 2015, 08:20:54 am »

Mine free range together but tend to keep to their own little flocks. If I have to leave the land in the daytime and at night they ago into their seperate pens all as good as gold and rarely getting into the wrong pen.