CHICKEN SWAPS OF NH SWAP LISTINGS

[aceschix]

Quote: If I may. I can offer my opinion and practice here on the farm. On the very rare occasion that I bring a live bird home, they get quarantined separately by where they came from. If I were to get a few from more than one breeder as you are suggesting I would not put them together.

My reasoning is this; I would not want any bird to unknowingly be exposed to a sickness. But more importantly I would want better control over identifying what bird/group, if any, signs or symptoms may generate from. I always operate under the assumption that we all have germs and we all have different germs. This way everyone is treated with the utmost biosecurity I can reasonably provide here. I also quarantine for at least 6 weeks. Keep in mind to always feed, water, clean and handle these birds last.

This may sound extreme to some but one heartbreak story about slowly loosing your entire flock and work to "something" will help to know that the few weeks of insurance is worth it.

My .2 cents. Has worked very successfully for us for 6+ years.

Feel free to continue to ask questions...we all start somewhere.

 

[AVintageLife]

Yes, if they are from different sources they should be quarantined separately.

Thanks, that's what I figured. Maybe I will luck out and someone there will have ee chicks AND silkie chicks, lol.

 

[AVintageLife]

If I may. I can offer my opinion and practice here on the farm. On the very rare occasion that I bring a live bird home, they get quarantined separately by where they came from. If I were to get a few from more than one breeder as you are suggesting I would not put them together.

My reasoning is this; I would not want any bird to unknowingly be exposed to a sickness. But more importantly I would want better control over identifying what bird/group, if any, signs or symptoms may generate from. I always operate under the assumption that we all have germs and we all have different germs. This way everyone is treated with the utmost biosecurity I can reasonably provide here. I also quarantine for at least 6 weeks. Keep in mind to always feed, water, clean and handle these birds last.

This may sound extreme to some but one heartbreak story about slowly loosing your entire flock and work to "something" will help to know that the few weeks of insurance is worth it.

My .2 cents. Has worked very successfully for us for 6+ years.

Feel free to continue to ask questions...we all start somewhere.

If I may. I can offer my opinion and practice here on the farm. On the very rare occasion that I bring a live bird home, they get quarantined separately by where they came from. If I were to get a few from more than one breeder as you are suggesting I would not put them together.

My reasoning is this; I would not want any bird to unknowingly be exposed to a sickness. But more importantly I would want better control over identifying what bird/group, if any, signs or symptoms may generate from. I always operate under the assumption that we all have germs and we all have different germs. This way everyone is treated with the utmost biosecurity I can reasonably provide here. I also quarantine for at least 6 weeks. Keep in mind to always feed, water, clean and handle these birds last.

This may sound extreme to some but one heartbreak story about slowly loosing your entire flock and work to "something" will help to know that the few weeks of insurance is worth it.

My .2 cents. Has worked very successfully for us for 6+ years.

Feel free to continue to ask questions...we all start somewhere.

Thank you, I agree with your approach completely. I don't let visitors into my coop, whether they have chickens or not. My plan was to keep the new birds completely separate from my existing girls until they are fully feathered/similar in size and then they can meet, still separated by fencing, and then slowly integrated with the hope that all is well and pecking order is established by the fall. The new birds will be raised at the front of the property and at some point I would give them a patch of grass from where the other girls forage hoping to expose new birds to some existing germs and see how that goes. I read here on BYC that when the new birds are grown and ready to meet the main flock, I could take one girl from the main flock and put it with the new, thereby only risking one of my beloved flock instead of exposing the whole. My DH and kids think I am crazy but my main flock, almost a year old, have been so healthy and I can't imagine putting them at risk. Appreciate you sharing your many years of experience.

 

[1Chick Magnet]

I have a newbie question for you. Assuming your swedish flower/ee cross and cochin/wyandotte were chicks, did you bring them home and put them together or do you have to quarantine them from each other (as well as the rest of your flock)? I'm going to the Milford swap this weekend hoping to score some ee chicks and some silkie chicks and I know I need to quarantine them from my existing flock but wasn't sure about each other.

hi,
I love newbie questions. The chicks I got all came from the same person so they were all living together. We are lucky enough to have more than 1 location in more than 1 town. The chicks are in quarantine all by themselves at my parents house. I recently retired to take care of my folks so I see them daily. They love to see the different things I get while they are in quarantine. If you were to buy from different people and put them all together you do take a risk. If you buy 1 animal with problems and put it with a bunch of healthy animals everyone could end up with problems. I usually buy from one person at a time to make my risk smaller. This is really hard because I want everything I see. I just tell myself that I have the whole summer so slow down. Greg slows my down too lol.

 

[aceschix]

Quote:

On another note... I always integrate at night. If you do your slow introduction and such that is perfectly fine. But when you decide everyone is ready to be housed together, put the new birds in the coop on the roost with the others after everyone has settled for the night. That way there is less fighting in the morning. Notice I did not say NO fighting

They are funny though it is sometimes as if they wake up thinking they have always been together...bird brains

 

[1Chick Magnet]

this is my new double decker rabbit hutch. I have the option of 2 units or I can remove the tray-put down a ramp and have 1 big hutch.
I think it would be great to put on external nest boxes and have the option of using it for bantys.
Greg made this for me. it is on wheels.

 

[chicken pickin]

this is my new double decker rabbit hutch. I have the option of 2 units or I can remove the tray-put down a ramp and have 1 big hutch.
I think it would be great to put on external nest boxes and have the option of using it for bantys.
Greg made this for me. it is on wheels.

Oh I love love love that. I need one of those for chicks growing out. But I have WAY too many brooders going as it is DH might run away lol. Great job!

 

[1Chick Magnet]

Oh I love love love that. I need one of those for chicks growing out. But I have WAY too many brooders going as it is DH might run away lol. Great job!

this is the lucky girl who lives in the new hutch. I bought her sat at the plymouth swap.

 

[Chicken Lady 4]

She is cute! Love the colors!

 

[1Chick Magnet]

She is cute! Love the colors!

thankyou. It was love at first sight. I just couldn't resist her. She is a dwarf.