ReadyvilleBird
In the Brooder
- Jan 25, 2018
- 19
- 10
- 39
This spring has been one of many lessons concerning chick health and diseases. I feel like I’ve experienced nearly all of them this year. Last year I only lost one to an unsupervised nephew but this year I have lost to cocci, accites, sour crop and most frustratingly, respiratory disease (MG). My flock consists of 32 birds with no more than two of the same breed. What can I say, I like variety. With variety comes procurements from various hatcheries and “hatcheries”. I can write off the sour crop and water belly to dumb luck and even my own inexperience, but the respiratory disease ravaging my whole flock came from sourcing chicks locally from an unknown environment. When I first picked up my two sebrights and two frizzles, I dismissed the frizzles’ closed eyes to something they were exposed to during transportation. I foolishly added these chicks to my brooder without quarantining them first. By the time I noticed the sebright sneezing, it was too late. The foamy eyes had spread to several chicks within the brooder and even outside to my coop within days. I treated the first few showing signs immediately with doxycycline but this disease keeps popping up where I’m now treating the whole flock with tetracycline. My flock will now forever carry this incurable disease. I tell my story to warn others who may add to their flock of my amateur mistakes.
First, source your chicks from only the most reputable sources and not the first Craigslist ad with your desired breed and claims of experience. Second, quarantine all new additions for at least a few days to make sure that they are disease free. Third, practice good sanitation to prevent spreading illness should it appear.
I now have an entire chicken pharmacy in my bathroom and came out of this with much experience/knowledge gained. But no one should have to experience this scenario since it can be avoided with just a few easy steps and practices. Keep your flock healthy when procuring your new fluffy additions!
First, source your chicks from only the most reputable sources and not the first Craigslist ad with your desired breed and claims of experience. Second, quarantine all new additions for at least a few days to make sure that they are disease free. Third, practice good sanitation to prevent spreading illness should it appear.
I now have an entire chicken pharmacy in my bathroom and came out of this with much experience/knowledge gained. But no one should have to experience this scenario since it can be avoided with just a few easy steps and practices. Keep your flock healthy when procuring your new fluffy additions!
