getting new started pullet possibly Monday - needs isolation??

[JLS]

I will be getting a started pullet from a local CLEAN feed store. The pullet is vaccinated. I have read that I need to isolate new birds for a period of time to ensure they're healthy. Is so, how long do I need to do this and will her laying behavior be messed up if she starts to lay while in iso?

I will have to put her in a large covered outdoor dog run w/ the kennel I used to train my Standard Poodle. I think I can make a small free standing roost to go inside the kennel. I would have to put the food and water outside in the run.

Of course I would love to by pass this and keep her seperated from my existing flock but still in the coop. Can I do this? Please tell me the truth and not just what I want to hear

 

[lleighmay]

Put her in the dog kennel away from the others for 30 days. Don't even let them visit the new hen through the wire. It may mess up her laying for a while but I've read too many horror stories from people who brought home birds they thought were "clean" only to lose their whole flock. I know it's tempting to separate her in the coop but that's just asking for trouble due to proximity. If it were me and there was another about the same age available I would get two so they can keep each other company while they wait it out in isolation. Make sure the covering on the run is secure so you don't lose her(them) to an opportunistic predator....
I promise it will be worth the wait.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

The above post X2. Get 2 if you can.

 

[JLS]

Quote:
I thank you very much for the good advice... as well as you, Buttercup Chillin! I know you both are right. Isolate for 30 days. Put your mind at ease, my dog kennel is very secure - 8ft high fence right up to the roof surrounded with barbed wire, no kidding! It is impossible to dig into/under it.

As for getting two...just twist my arm! Oh goody, another feathered baby to join my family!

 

[lleighmay]

It is our job to enable you as others have enabled us (said with a goggle-eyed stare and a poultry catalog in hand)......... enjoy your new girls!