Over the past few months I have lost all of my hens except for one because of predators. I am getting two more and was wondering if I should quarantine them since I only have one original hen. I do not have another coop or pen that I could use for quarantine. If I did quarantine, what could I use that would be easy and cheap to make?
I personally would not quarantine for just one hen. But please read the following: There is a good reason to quarantine anyway...and that reason is- what if the new hens have a horrible disease that actually contaminates your chicken yard- the soil and everything? The worst case scenario if you quarantine (well except what is discussed in the next paragraph) is that the new hens die after you get them of a disease, or that you have to put them down in order to avoid getting your old hen sick. There are diseases that result in an asymptomatic carrier status and they might pass the quarantine and still make your old hen sick. So you must weigh carefully and choose. You can use a dog cage in the garage to quarantine, is one idea.
I made a barrier out of wood and chicken wire. I put it up anytime I am introducing new birds. It goes the width of the coop and about 3 feet high. I then hang a blanket from the ceiling to cover the top and nail the barrier in place. It is quite mobile and light and is only needed for about 2 weeks. They can see each other through the chicken wire so it allows them to be familiar without harming each other. I would predator proof while you're at it.
