Bringing chicken back to flock after trip; necessary to isolate?

[materum]

So, I keep my chickens a little south of San Francisco, and I decided to bring one of my chickens to show to some children in Berkeley. It hasnt been with any other chickens, nor has it gone very far from where the coop is (its all in the Bay Area and within an hour of each other). However, it has been surrounded and handled by lots of different people. That being the case, should I isolate it from the other chickens for a while, and if so, how long?

Also, if its relevant to know, it has been seperated from the rest of the flock for less than a day (from about 9 am to maybe 8-9 pm).

 

[jjthink]

I would tonight put her back in with them after everybody's zoned out for the night. Hopefully when they wake up in the a.m. life will be as it was. But when they wake up in the morning be there to monitor the situation for awhile to ensure there is no problem. Some sunflower seeds and fruit snacks may be a nice distraction first thing tomorrow. Watch interactions during and after. If she gets picked on, she'll need to be rescued, but odds should be pretty good that her short leave of absence will not present a big problem. Let us know......
JJ

 

[materum]

So then I shouldnt have to worry about any sort of odd diseases or anything my chicken may have contracted, or given the circumstances, is that not really a possibility?

 

[jjthink]

Since you mention she wasn't with other birds, I think it's less risky than a trip to the avian vet, where birds are in and out all day long (I do think about this every time I take them to the vet, but hopefully the universe is kind when we're trying to get them help!) The longer you wait to reintegrate the harder it will be. There is always a risk when you take them to other places, so I wouldn't do it unless you have to, but under the circumstances you describe for this excursion, the risk would likely be on the low side.
JJ

 

[Judy]

I wouldn't worry about diseases when they have only been around people. The bad diseases are mostly (or entirely; I'm not that educated) going to come from other birds, not people, unless the people have the bird's germs on them, like chicken poop on their shoes or something.

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts. Not to worry.

 

[materum]

Joy Joy Joy! Isolating one of them would have been such a hassle, so hooray! Also, so you guys know, a few of the kids were so enamored by the chicken that they actually convinced their parent to get them some! I'm going to be getting them some chicks for next Sunday