California - Northern

[OR4-hmom]

To much 4-H training for me when I dust. I am now able to stand them on my knee, dust the vent and fluff, then lift a wing. They know what's coming when I turn them around to get the other wing. Thankfully I have had very few creepie crawlies.

I know I'm bug free afterwards.

 

[ronott1]

To much 4-H training for me when I dust. I am now able to stand them on my knee, dust the vent and fluff, then lift a wing. They know what's coming when I turn them around to get the other wing. Thankfully I have had very few creepie crawlies.

I know I'm bug free afterwards.

I do not know why more do not do this when bringing new flock members in.

I do it before sending them off to new owners.

 

[OR4-hmom]

2 years ago a Polish came in with lice. I dusted 200 birds on check-out. It was easier than dealing with complaints later.

We now put dust down before the bedding goes in the cages. I do leave a few without it but haven't had anyone balk at the ounce of prevention.

 

[danita]

am in Northern CA...Cobb Mountain...

where is cobbmtn. I haven't heard of it but cali is a big state. How far from sacred or redding?

 

[ronott1]

where is cobbmtn. I haven't heard of it but cali is a big state. How far from sacred or redding?

I had to look it up!

It is in Lake County, not far from the big fires last summer.

 

[danita]

I had to look it up!

It is in Lake County, not far from the big fires last summer.

 

[gander007]

Do you all quarantine all your new birds? What type of precautions do you take.

The new birds go into a coop on the other side of the yard for a month some 120 feet away from the other animals in the yard .....

 

[QueenMisha]

Do you all quarantine all your new birds? What type of precautions do you take.

Yes! Quarantine is so, so important. Please never bring in a bird from an untrusted source without quarantine. I've dealt with some many disease issues because I was an idiot and didn't quaratine. Many chicken diseases are not even curable and stick will the flock for life unless you kill everything and start over.

My own quarantine involves basic physical inspection of the bird, 2-3 weeks of full separation, use of "canaries", and dusting for mites. I should be worming too but haven't had time to buy any wormer recently.

 

[Honora]

Hi all,

We have had a couple of possum attacks since our chicks hatched and lost a chick last night. So tonight we put the mamas & chicks in the big coop with the rest of the flock. This coop is more secure. We also put the dog crate in that the mamas & chicks have been sleeping in.

Well, the mamas decided they didn't want to sleep in the dog crate any more. Maybe they were upset by the possum attacks. So they roosted with the other hens tonight. A couple of the chicks went up on the roosts too, but some could not get up there.

We put all the chicks on the roosts with the mamas, but now I am wondering if it will be too cold for them on the roost? They are only 3 weeks old and it has been in the 40's here. Should we bring them in the house in the dog crate instead? How old is old enough to roost with the hens?

 

[Sylvester017]

Do you all quarantine all your new birds? What type of precautions do you take.

Yes, Quarantine!

First thing straight out of the shipping box is to inspect birds for external parasites and use Poultry Protector per label instructions as a preventative lice/mite maintenance and she's put into an indoor 4x4 kennel with a nestbox, feed, and water, to start quarantine. The kennel and accessories are all sterilized/disinfected after quarantine is over.




Second, I take an immediate fecal sample to the vet to test for worms or cocci - it's amazing how many shipped juveniles have internal parasites and need to be wormed or treated with Corid. I lost a 3-mo juvenile because the breeder didn't inform me she hadn't wormed before shipping. After that fiasco I don't trust all breeders to be upfront about issues they're having - some breeders are great and not afraid to share issues while other breeders sneakily hide info because they don't want to lose a sale or they are just too busy with daily life and assume you as the customer know what to look for already.


Third, I quarantine a new bird for a full month if there are no health issues - but I have never yet received a shipped bird that didn't need either worming and/or cocci treatment (cocci takes 3 weeks of Corid treatment per my vet). The month of quarantine also allows us to socialize the new pullet in-house and wait for her to grow to adult size at 4 to 5 months of age before introducing to the outdoor flock. While the new pullet is in-house we use a long door mirror on the floor for her to enjoy her reflection. Chickens are flock birds and enjoy being with another chicken even if it's only her own reflection to kiss, talk to, and sleep with! Chicken diaper in-house is optional.



Fourth, when the pullet is old enough and big enough to introduce to the outdoor flock she is separated by a rabbit fence in the yard from the rest of the flock so they can see each other thru the fence while foraging together. At roost time we put the new pullet in a grated nestbox for the night and in the morning the old girls see the new girl through the grate and then toodle off to forage in the backyard. We take the new pullet out of the nestbox and set her back on her side of the rabbit fence on her side. After 5-6 days of seeing each other this way we finally take the grate down from the nestbox and hopefully after this slow introduction there will be a minimum of pecking order squabbles as the new pullet joins the flock in the morning. The new pullet should be pretty much accepted by the flock after several days of seeing each other through grates and fences. We used painter's tape to hold the plastic grate in place in the nestbox. Don't laugh! It worked!