Questions I should be Asking????

[BarnChickyOO]

Hello, there is someone offering 6 free birds on Craigslist.

They said that they have slowed down laying, and I would like to check them out.


Are there any thing I should beware of/questions I should be asking before I decide if their worth it?


Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks.

ALSO: stupid question, I know, but should I have them tested for anything i.e Pullorum. And how common is Pullorum?

 

[bigzio]

Chickens and chicks are really easy find for sale. If they haven't been cared for properly, it might not be a good a deal. I would dust them for lice and mites at the very least, and maybe a good diet and additional light could promote the onset of lay...or ...they are older hybrids and already burned out.

I would start with chicks from a breeder near you....or birds from them...just keep posting and looking here.....or take a chance....I know I would opt for fresh stock (just me)...good Luck

bigz

 

[Pyxis]

I would ask their age, as hatchery birds tend to have a very short egg laying life. They tend to lay really well for two years and then cut off. However, this doesn't mean this will be true for all birds - I know a person who has a bird still laying, albeight not very well, at the age of 15. It could just be that they've slowed down due to molting or less daylight hours.

Also, quarantine them. They need to be in an area well away from your existing birds for AT LEAST four weeks. Pollorum is not the only thing you need to worry about. They could carry CRD, coryza, Marek's, and other things, and you would never know because they lie dormant until a bird is stressed or its immune system is compromised. Usually moving to a new place will cause enough stress that if they carried one of these it would start to show within a month.

 

[BarnChickyOO]

Chickens and chicks are really easy find for sale. If they haven't been cared for properly, it might not be a good a deal. I would dust them for lice and mites at the very least, and maybe a good diet and additional light could promote the onset of lay...or ...they are older hybrids and already burned out.

I would start with chicks from a breeder near you....or birds from them...just keep posting and looking here.....or take a chance....I know I would opt for fresh stock (just me)...good Luck

bigz

Oh, it's not that I can't find new birds. I just love bringing in new breeds, and they are so called pure, so maybe I could bring a few to a small show if they're friendly and healthy, and have decent "conformation".

Thank you so much!

 

[BarnChickyOO]

I would ask their age, as hatchery birds tend to have a very short egg laying life. They tend to lay really well for two years and then cut off. However, this doesn't mean this will be true for all birds - I know a person who has a bird still laying, albeight not very well, at the age of 15. It could just be that they've slowed down due to molting or less daylight hours.

Also, quarantine them. They need to be in an area well away from your existing birds for AT LEAST four weeks. Pollorum is not the only thing you need to worry about. They could carry CRD, coryza, Marek's, and other things, and you would never know because they lie dormant until a bird is stressed or its immune system is compromised. Usually moving to a new place will cause enough stress that if they carried one of these it would start to show within a month.

Ok. All I asked in the initial email was their age, and he said that they were almost 3.

What are some of the less-obvious symptoms of sick birds?

I have brought in new birds before, and I only quarantined them for about 3 weeks. Ooops.

Sorry for the stupid questions. They're kinda my thang.

 

[Pyxis]

Some symptoms I would look for are pale combs, wheezing, sneezing, bubbles in their eyes, nasal discharge, and, in the case of coryza, a really bad smell coming from their heads. Also look for lethargy. Make sure to check out their legs for scaly leg mites (look for raised scales on the legs and toes) and if possible also check them for mites and lice by looking in the feathers around their vents and under their chins - lice will lay clumps of eggs under the chin. If you can see any of their poop around, look out for blood, and obvious things in the poop like worms or worm eggs.

 

[BarnChickyOO]

Some symptoms I would look for are pale combs, wheezing, sneezing, bubbles in their eyes, nasal discharge, and, in the case of coryza, a really bad smell coming from their heads. Also look for lethargy. Make sure to check out their legs for scaly leg mites (look for raised scales on the legs and toes) and if possible also check them for mites and lice by looking in the feathers around their vents and under their chins - lice will lay clumps of eggs under the chin. If you can see any of their poop around, look out for blood, and obvious things in the poop like worms or worm eggs.

Oh my gosh thank you! You've been so helpful in telling me about things I've never even heard of before!

BTW- a bunch of the birds that I have right now- Right under their chins in the neck area, their are no feathers, and some gnarly skin. Could this be lice? It is not on all of my birds, just a little under half. Also, they did not molt this year, so I was thinking it might have something to do with that.

Every other week or so I sprinkle garden and poultry dust around their coop and on the roosts.

 

[Pyxis]

No problem! I like to help Your guys might have lice - if you look in their feathers you may be able to see them crawling around - they're visible to the human eye, but they're really quick! If you're worried about it, pick up some Sevin 7% Garden Dust. It's in a red bottle and you can get it in the garden sections of most big stores like Walmart and TSC. Take some and put in the cut off leg of some old pantyhose. Use it like a powder puff to dust your birds and pay extra attention to the area under their chin and around their vent and it will kill any lice if they have them.