Chicken quarantine

[Cluck2013]

How would you quarantine new chickens if your current chickens free range all day, anywhere they want? We have a coop for them with no run. Let them out in the morning and pen up in coop at night. We love out in the country with wooded area on one side of us, non fenced yard, and fields on the surrounding 3 sides. Our chickens go all over these places. Has anyone used a stock trailer? I'm afraid, if these new guys are sick, then it will contaminate the trailer we use for cattle. Any suggestions?

 

[Mrs. K]

To truly quarantine, you would have to confine your own birds away from the trailer. Once they share air space, quarantine is broken. You can't pretend to quarantine, you either do it or you don't.

Most set ups are not set up to quarantine, so you can either have a closed flock, or only take in day old chicks (considered a safe bet). Or you take the risk of introducing a disease or parasite to your flock.

Do not take anything that looks sick, or has been exposed to other birds at an auction or bird show. Do examine the birds for evidence of lice or mites. However, this time of year, birds will tend to look ratty as they go into molt.

If you would suffer an emotional decline if you lost your birds, do not do this. If you can take the risk, well to me, healthy has always looked healthy and I have gotten some very nice birds this way. I have been lucky, it is a real risk.

Mrs K

 

[Folly's place]

I never bring in birds from outside, except for day old chicks from very safe hatcheries. Any bird from elsewhere is a real risk, and 'quarantine' isn't what you would be doing on your property.
Decide if loosing your flock, or having Marek's disease forever on your property, is really worth it. If yes, then go ahead, with 'healthy looking' birds, treating them for mites and lice first.
Mary

 

[aart]

How would you quarantine new chickens if your current chickens free range all day, anywhere they want? We have a coop for them with no run. Let them out in the morning and pen up in coop at night. We love out in the country with wooded area on one side of us, non fenced yard, and fields on the surrounding 3 sides. Our chickens go all over these places. Has anyone used a stock trailer? I'm afraid, if these new guys are sick, then it will contaminate the trailer we use for cattle. Any suggestions?

Short answer is, you can't. The existing flock would need to be contained away from the new birds.
As far as I know, bird diseases won't affect cattle.

Here's a good read on quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article

 

[Folly's place]

That article is good!
It's hard to overemphasize the 'isolation' and cleanliness aspects of it though. It's very difficult, especially at home.
Mary

 

[Cluck2013]

Thanks everyone! We decided to pass on the flock since it would be more of a hassle to take them on.