And have until this weekend.
I purchased 2 egg laying young hens this past Friday morning (8-20-11) (We've, purchased a few pullets and an accidental young EE Roo from a local supplier over the past year.) No Problems. Until this past Friday.
We wanted a couple of mature hens to "add" to our main flock. "Beatiful girls"!
As it turned out, it's been raining 2 to 3 times a day since. Our "alternate" quarantine pen was delayed due to the same.
We have a main coop, peeper pen and a large "run". (Finishing a new coop for the upcoming 4 to 5 month old pullets/cockrell since they had out grown their peeper pen).
We were going to use the peeper pen this time as the quarantine pen. The "run" is only partially roofed and screened well, so they can sun, dust bathe, etc.. . .but with all the rain we found ourselves in a quandry with what to do.
Had to "swap out" the pen areas in order to give protection from the rain. Then we gave free range time to each group, . . . the mature hens and roo, . . .then the pullets/young roo, . . .and then the 2 mature hens. (We were trying to finish the new pen (4th) between the rain storms etc. A Mess!). We were trying to give each group a little time to free range separately as the weather permitted.
It turned out that both new hens died of Gapeworm within 48 to 72 hours. New experience to me and my husband . So very sad.
Unfortunately, they had a short stay in a holding pen where we take the hens from a coop to a "run" and then free range and back to their respective coop(s).
Since they were mature and we trusted this supplier, we thought it would be safe.
The supplier later stated that he had just "swapped" the hens the Sunday before, only 5 days, and they had not even been quarantine from his flock!!!!!!!!!!!
We followed all the advise from this web site on how to treat/quarantine the birds. Called the supplier, told him what was going on, picked up the med, (fenbenazol)? Stayed up through the nights in our outdoor patio bathroom with the hens so we could keep them isolated and treat.
Can't thank all of you enough, for your dedication to try and help others with your posts through all these years, to save the birds and educate us while offering encoragement and timely support along the way!!!.
To have the ability to go to the archives to get the recommended treatment(s) etc. sure makes you feel like you have experts to help guide you through those tough times.
The supplier told me he would refund the money if I bring in the carcass(s)!!. Something to look forward to on a Monday morning! I told him Saturday morning that he needed to treat his birds asap. (Open only 1/2 day and we could not get there to return the birds before he closed!)
We are hoping that the treatment is in time and dose for the rest of our birds. Again, having this site through the long nights and mornings. . . days . . .has been helpful and certainly educational. Mostly, sad, that I didn't take the constant reminder/warning to quarantine prior to introduction of new birds as gospel!!!!!.
Just can't even imagine having to completely start over. Much less to watch all that suffering ever again!
Will also have to bleach out the whole bathroom, much less keep a vigilant front to clean all the pens and relocate the rest of our birds while trying to treat them and keep them alive. Burning all items that may have been contaminated and all the bedding materials etc.
Any new comer etc., please take the time to quarantine!
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