Dangers of getting free poultry?

[cariboujaguar]

There are free chickens in our local paper from time to time and on CL but you have to jump on them ASAP, I am wondering how risky it is to take in free poultry... is there any kind of physical illness' I could check for if I choose to go look at any of these animals? I know in the goat world there are alot of diseases and illness' they can have so free ones are to be quarantined and handled carefully until tested, or avoided completely...

thanks

 

[chickensioux]

Kinda the same for chickies too. Quarantine away from others (if you have them) Look for alertness, eating, what their poop looks like, color of comb and wattles (should be bright red), any discharge from eyes, nose, bottoms, tail not held erect, etc. Anybody else think of anything to look for?

 

[farmgirlie1031]

The free ones I have recieved have been really crippled or sick normally. But it doesn't always have to be that way. Just check them before you take them and quarantine them.

 

[cariboujaguar]

we got 6 free chickens when I was a kid, before we bought barred rocks from the feed store, and they started laying soft shells consistently and got these horrible sores, absesses on their feet then just up and died one at a time every few days. they'd lay down and get lethargic and their heads would flop to the side... it was so sad... what do you suppose they had? once they died we got the chicks 2 months later then they moved into the same coop about a month after that and never caught anything- i was young and parents were too ignorant to clean coop and steralize etc...

 

[lalaland]

Don't forget to look at legs!!! for scaly leg mites - legs should feel warm and soft, like a snake skin, but if they are crusty or if the scales are sticking up, pass on the hens. treatment sucks! and untreated, you get hens in pain and they can lose part of their feet, etc.

 

[JennsPeeps]

I've only ever taken 1 free bird

(FREE BIRD!)

and she was a banty cochin from a breeder who didn't want her because she has a twisted/crossed beak. I'm lucky that she had no health problems and didn't infect my flock - I was a brand new flock owner at the time and didn't know about quarantine & biosecurity.

She's been a nice little bird but hasn't yet laid a single egg. Her name is Tribble and she's about 10 months old.