Are Started Pullets Safe?

[HuskerHens18]

Before you bring new chickens home, you may want to read this article on a proper medical quarantine. I don't think two walls between them will keep any airborne diseases from passing from one flock to the other.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...nderestimated-part-of-raising-chickens.67097/

Thank you!

 

[HuskerHens18]

I also think it is important to know what was killing your own birds before you bring in any new ones, otherwise you may just continue to have more losses.
Stress increases the chances of disease breaking out and spreading. Integration of new birds causes stress.
Multiple cockerels also cause stress and can cause injury as well as feather loss. How old are your boys? Apart from acting as look outs and early warning systems, most roosters are not effective as "bodyguards". Not worth the aggravation to the pullets in my opinion.

Marek's is one of the few diseases that can evade quarantine due to it having long dormant phases and being in adjacent coops would certainly not quarantine for it at all. There is a risk with bringing anything other than day old chicks from a good hatchery with biosecurity, into your flock, but since you have already had problems with random deaths, your flock may be more of a risk to any new birds you buy.

That's just it, we've got no clue. Did necropsies at the university and nothing came back except coccidia, the rest were isolated cases(egg bound and some bacteria in the gut). I had them check for Marek's, they came back clear. Treated coccidia and there were still deaths afterwards. Spent a good 1000$ on necropsies alone, not counting vet bills. Had a couple die of heat I'm pretty sure, we had 105°F for a week straight even during the nighttime.

I'm confident in my roosters, I love them to bits. They're 2 years old and very good protection, I've witnessed it many times. We get stray dogs often, and TONS of hawks. My cockerels are housed in the rooster flock, no hen access.

I can find different ways to house them too, the goat shed was more convenient, but I've got options. Was considering turning a grain bin into a chicken coop, it's tin though so I'd be battling the heat stress in summer.

 

[Jase The Butcher]

The one place is 10 minutes from me and the other is 20 minutes away

I wouldn't worry about that. Shucks we get birds brought to the property all the time from places within that distance and that has never ever caused an issue

 

[aart]

Did necropsies at the university and nothing came back except coccidia

Did they give numbers of coccidia found....and maybe some info on the specific strain?

Not a fan of sand as bedding....wonders if coccidia oocysts survive better in sand or organic bedding? Wonders if your lab could test bedding for coccidia population numbers..and give info on local strains and eradication?

 

[lazy gardener]

Agreed with Lof Mc. How many s.f. per bird in coop AND run? My concern is that there is not appreciable bedding. Just "soil and river rock" IMO translates to a fecal laden mess over time. This would not help to control the pathogens in the soil.

Have you considered converting to deep litter management?

I would not want to be adding any new birds of any age until at least next spring if I was dealing with these kinds of losses.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Right now I'm finishing out the last bags of chick starter grower. My pullets are just about to start laying, which I'll then switch to Layena Omega 3.
Rooster flocks are fed Flock Raiser.
All my Orphingtons that died were skinny as heck, which I assume is from the coccidia.....? I don't feed treats, I only give cucumbers and potato peelings maybe twice a month, if even.
I really appreciate you helping! The eggbound hens were a Jersey Giant and a GL Wyandotte, both from different places. JG from Welp Hatchery and the GLW from the breeder 10min away.

I've been slowly catching up to your circumstances as this thread has evolved.

So after reading the last post, I'm now editing this to state I think you've got litter/field management with crowding issues as the root cause. The illnesses are simply symptoms of that root. What size are your pens? Dirt will not allow for good litter control, nor I doubt the corn husks (though I've not used it admittedly....I've had terrible luck with straw which is similar...it just molds, doesn't absorb, and allows stuff to grow in it).

With 85 birds, you will always have something going on unless you are on top of field/litter and overall management. Chicken keeping is constant management. The larger the flock, the more occurrence statistically that can and will happen.

The larger the flock, the more poop, the more poop, the more pathogens build up. That's why field and/or litter rotation is essential.

You state you realize you don't have litter/field/pen control yet. Then, don't add more birds until you've got that resolved. My math suggests that 85 minus 15 still leaves about 70 birds to manage on ground that is not receiving appropriate treatment yet. You've just treated birds.

Until you get litter management under control, you will still be pushing pathogens into the litter and environment with crowding stress in the birds bringing on illness.

From the med list, I can deduce your vet is treating coccidosis, worms, and likely MG or a gram negative bacteria like Pasturella or eColi or Salmonella.

All of those illness are exacerbated by crowding stress and poop build up in poor litter choice. Get those things under control. You may be losing less simply because your numbers are now down enough to lower stressors. Also you've medicated but very likely not eradicated.

As to sand, I don't like it, nor do others in my area, because my soil is clay...like clay pot clay. I also live in a very rainy climate. Adding sand and water to clay creates concrete. (There actually is a famous concrete manufacturer in our area using our fine clay soil with sand).

Sand stagnates easily. I find it harder to change out. It is miserable to track.

However, there are those on BYC who thoroughly recommend sand. I think they are in much drier climate and have more loamy soil.

Just my experiences.

LofMc

 

[Jase The Butcher]

Well that's good to know, makes me feel a bit better.

Awesomeness

 

[rebrascora]

What do you feed your flock?..... Orpingtons can be particularly susceptible to obesity and Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome and a slight dietary imbalance over the long term can increase the risk of that and all those fluffy feathers hide the surplus fat. Just wondering if that might explain losing more of them. I'm guessing you didn't get necropsies on all 15-20 birds that died. Just thinking that there has probably been more than one thing going on in your flock. Fatty Liver is usually pretty easy to spot, so if you had necropsies on any of the Orps it should be apparent if that was the cause. Thick fatty deposits can also cause other potentially fatal reproductive ailments like egg binding and prolapse and internal laying and salpingitis even if they don't suffer Fatty Liver haemorrhaging. Just something to consider..... I appreciate that I am getting off topic here but just trying to help solve your significant losses and perhaps prevent further ones. Genetics will of course also play a part.
If you are getting started birds you would be well advised to give them a preventative round of Corid when they arrive at your property, so that if there are coccidia in your pens that they have not previously been exposed to, they will have a chance to develop some resistance rather than be suddenly overwhelmed by them.

 

[HuskerHens18]

Did they give numbers of coccidia found....and maybe some info on the specific strain?

Not a fan of sand as bedding....wonders if coccidia oocysts survive better in sand or organic bedding? Wonders if your lab could test bedding for coccidia population numbers..and give info on local strains and eradication?

Nope. They were pretty vague on the phone call, I was there when my veterinarian called them. They don't send out reports, just phone calls. Getting to talk to anyone is pretty rare, usually it's just a receptionist.
All I know is my local strain is immune to Amprolium, I had to use Sulfa powder in their water twice this year to finally knock it out, for now.
Right now the bedding is corn stalks straight from my field. The only ones not to get coccidia have dirt for bedding.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Hmmmm....I've only read this thread, so it sounds like there is more going on indeed, and I was not aware of respiratory symptoms in some. That changes the picture.

If sulfa powder helped "knock it out," it may not have been just coccidiosis as Sulmet and such sulfa drugs can be used for coccidiosis but also treat a variety of gram negative bacteria.

But I'm curious...did you lose 15 birds over a year? or over a month?

If you've had more than coccidiosis at hand, I would wait and figure out what you may have going on. It is likely several elements at large.

The rest of my suggestions remain for treating the litter.

I agree that I'm not a fan of sand, as it doesn't do well in my climate.

I'm not sure how well the corn husks are keeping things down without molding.

Aspergillis can cause a lot of problems too.

More info may help us determine what may be going on before you add more.

LofMc