gajugrah
In the Brooder
- Jan 19, 2016
- 6
- 5
- 44
Hi all!
To give you all the info...
About 4 months ago I bought 2x 5mnth old RIRs (had never owned chickens before) and didn't realise they were sick when I bought them. After 2 weeks one was very ill and we had a vet put her down and check the other to discover it was a type of respiratory disease (we didn't have any extensive tests done so we're not sure what kind, but under the microscope of a swab the vet could see chronic particles or bacteria). We had her on antibiotics for about 5 weeks, fed her lots of the good stuff and over that time her symptoms all cleared up and she gained lots of weight and had more energy (she was underweight). The following 2 months she continued to gain some weight (I would say she's a healthy weight now) and she has a lot of energy, although she hadn't laid any eggs yet - until this weekend! We went away for a weekend and had friends look after her and we came home to 3 eggs!
I'm posting in here for 2 reasons...
1. Can we eat these eggs with her being a carrier of a respiratory disease?
2. The vet suggested when she is in better health we get maybe 2 ex battery hens, so she has a flock. She suggested the ex battery hens because their age and all the commercial vaccinations they have had would mean they have a relatively strong immune system. Would anyone second this idea?
I live in an inner city suburban house, and at the moment her only friends are the pigeons that peck around her run, and if she gets a chance to get close to our cats she'll even follow them around the backyard (although they quickly run off so it doesn't last long).
Any responses are greatly appreciated!
To give you all the info...
About 4 months ago I bought 2x 5mnth old RIRs (had never owned chickens before) and didn't realise they were sick when I bought them. After 2 weeks one was very ill and we had a vet put her down and check the other to discover it was a type of respiratory disease (we didn't have any extensive tests done so we're not sure what kind, but under the microscope of a swab the vet could see chronic particles or bacteria). We had her on antibiotics for about 5 weeks, fed her lots of the good stuff and over that time her symptoms all cleared up and she gained lots of weight and had more energy (she was underweight). The following 2 months she continued to gain some weight (I would say she's a healthy weight now) and she has a lot of energy, although she hadn't laid any eggs yet - until this weekend! We went away for a weekend and had friends look after her and we came home to 3 eggs!
I'm posting in here for 2 reasons...
1. Can we eat these eggs with her being a carrier of a respiratory disease?
2. The vet suggested when she is in better health we get maybe 2 ex battery hens, so she has a flock. She suggested the ex battery hens because their age and all the commercial vaccinations they have had would mean they have a relatively strong immune system. Would anyone second this idea?
I live in an inner city suburban house, and at the moment her only friends are the pigeons that peck around her run, and if she gets a chance to get close to our cats she'll even follow them around the backyard (although they quickly run off so it doesn't last long).
Any responses are greatly appreciated!
