Chicken Meet/Swap? Getting More Chickens? Read Here First, Please!

[pips&peeps]

I do want to also add that most chicken diseases are herpes type viruses. They never go away. The chicken carries the disease for life and can spread the disease if it gets worn down or ill.

Which means you can buy a seemingly healthy chicken, quarantine it for 6 weeks and then add it to the flock only to get it stressed enough to spread disease.

Then "poof" all the flock is contaminated.

Jean

 

[speckledhen]

I do want to also add that most chicken diseases are herpes type viruses. They never go away. The chicken carries the disease for life and can spread the disease if it gets worn down or ill.

Which means you can buy a seemingly healthy chicken, quarantine it for 6 weeks and then add it to the flock only to get it stressed enough to spread disease.

Then "poof" all the flock is contaminated.

Yes, you are absolutely correct. And when I hear the words, "Does my chicken have a cold?", I cringe because I know that most likely, it's far worse then they think. What you said, Jean, is why that it is my policy that if any of my birds ever comes down with goopy eyes, nares, cheesy discharges, respiratory symptoms of any kind other than an occasional sneeze from eating too fast, it will be put down immediately. I will not treat it with antibiotics or any other way. That is why, in all likelihood, I never will buy another adult bird. My flock is pretty well closed except for occasionally buying hatching eggs from very reputable people that I know here. And if somehow, illness does ravage my flock, I will no longer sell hatching eggs or birds from that group to anyone for fear of causing heartache to them in the future.​

 

[Frizzledhen]

So to put it all in a nut shell, there is no GUARANTEE, whether you get hatching eggs, chicks, young stock, grown birds, buy from a hatchery, a friend, off ebay, eggbid, from NPIP or from somebody's backyard that you will be free of disease. Sooo, no matter what, we all need to be very careful when adding to our flocks. For us newbies it is a little harder because we first have a lot to learn and we don't know all the right people yet. This forum is the second best thing that I have done for my chickens, the first was buying my chickens. I want to thank all the great people here for sharing their knowledge, time and love for chickens. You make life with chickens easier for the rest of us.

 

[RepoBob]

Yea, what Gayle said.

 

[CovenantCreek]

Excellent post, MissPrissy, and the ongoing discussion is GREAT! Thank you all very much for freely offering this kind of advice. I've noticed a lot of people talking about wanting to purchase new birds at fairs, shows, auctions, etc. lately, I hope they all take the time to read these posts and get fully prepared for their new additions. I also hope this thread will get be made sticky so I can find it again when I'm ready to expand my flock again.

 

[speckledhen]

We do sticky things like this; in fact, I posted a similar thing months ago and it was stickied, but people tend not to look at those after awhile. It's like it stays there so long, you cease to see it anymore. It's good that Miss Prissy refreshed our memories here with all the shows and auctions people are going to lately.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

WOW!! I really learned alot about things I take for granted and haven't even considered by reading this thread!!!! Thanks Prissy & Speckled!! Very Informative!!!

 

[cherndon712]

Awesome thread!!

 

[Lunachick]

I have a question on this topic. Without going into a long story, I received a pullet as a rescue, but because of my circumstances at the time, I had to incorporate her into the flock right away.

So far so good. It has been a month. If anything disease wise is there, how would I know? I mean I guess I would see signs now right? Or it could happen next week! Yikes.

I think my birds are Ok, just wanted to know more details.

 

[Pelican49]

I'm so glad I joined this forum long before even moving to my country place. I've learned a great deal and I'm keeping a journal of things I learn here that I want to incorporate.

I originally had intended to buy a few pullets from the local feed store. I've never had chickens, but now I want day old chicks instead. First I must get this house sold, get moved and completely redo the falling apart coop and run at the new place.

I'm excited about getting started, but want to have everything ready before I even think about getting chicks.

Thanks to everyone on this forum for all the great ideas.