Eeek! Storey's Guide to Raising Poultry

[ginormous chicken]

So, I was just reading the "Storey's Guide to Raising Poultry", and I hit the diseases section. The number of avian disease listed, described in detail, and treatments ( or most of the time lack there of, especially when the name of the disease starts with Infectious ________) makes my head swim! I knew there are a lot of avian diseases and all but after reading the chapter, I feel like I need to wash my hands... or/and take a shower!

After reading the chapter, I am now paranoid my flock is going to come down with some mysterious illness and all you know... die ( like Rooster Sudden Death Syndrome.

) What do you all do to help with the over all health maintenance of your flock. Or should I be taking deep breaths and trying to think happy thoughts instead?

 

[eggchel]

I'd go with the "take a deep breath and think happy thoughts" theory,
followed closely with a good bio-security program.

Quarantine new birds and birds returning from shows, or better yet, keep a closed flock.
Make sure friends (who own poultry) wear clean clothes and shoes when they visit your flock.
Disinfect any used equipment that you acquire.
Etc




Chel

 

[sydney13]

I know how you feel

After I read the chicken health hand book I was terrified that these diseases would affect my flock. Most of these problems are for very large commercial poultry flocks not a small backyard flock. Its pretty rare to have any of these problems to infect a flock that has good management. Just keep things clean, don't borrow things from other chicken owners, quarantine new birds for 30 days, and disinfect your cloths when you visit other chicken flocks.

 

[awesomefowl]

It IS scary, but now that my ten chickens have become infected with CRD (chronic respiratory disease

) I really wish I had read up more in advance! I did quarintine my new birds but I didn't have great bio-security; however, this disease could have even come from the hatchery I got my birds from, no way to tell.

I like the "Chicken Health Handbook" the best because I really like Gail Damerow's writing. But I still can't get the nerve to kill my chickens who carry the disease. I'm trying to keep their germs seperate from the Serama pair and the quail I'm hoping to get.

CRD stinks!!!!!!!!