Had New Chickens Added My Flock Without My Knowledge!now What Do I Do?

[snowhorse]

I have 15 birds and have kept a closed flock for the past 7 months. A friend of my Dad's said he wanted to give me his 5 New Hampshire Reds and 2 White Leghorns. I really didn't want them but he was giving them to me as a gift. So I told him I was going to pick them up after work today and had every intention of setting them up in an empty horse stall and quarantine them for a month.

Well I got home and he thought he would do me the favor of dropping them off while I was at work and putting them in my coop with my flock!!! I almost died!!!

So I promptly took them out as they did not appear to be liking each other very much and have since put them in a seperate building. Is it now too late that if they are carriers of some disease that they were probably in my coop for 6 hours that the damage has already been done? I get home when it is dark out, so I did not clean my coop and I didn't want to kick them out in the dark and stress them out anymore then they already had been.

Any suggestions on what I should do? And to boot the New Hamphire Reds are very Ratty looking, missing feathers and seem to have poop stuck to their feather by the venthole.

WHAT A MESS!!!

Any thoughts or suggestions on what I should do?

 

[farmin'chick]

Keep them separated, give the new birds the same TLC you give your own birds, and watch them recover QUICKLY. After 30 days, house the two groups near enough to each other that they can see each other, if it's your desire to ever combine the flocks. Some of mine remain separate flocks forever.

For preventive/first aid for your original flock, start with coating the legs with vaseline if the other flock shows any sign of scaly leg mites. Dust them with Diatomaceous Earth or 5% carbaryl dust (Sevin) in case the new birds brought lice or mites. Check the new flock for any sneezing, coughing, bubbly eyes, or wheezing. If those symptoms are present, I would medicate my original flock with the appropriate antibiotic for the new birds' symptoms as well as medicating the new birds.

Keep your eyes out for symptoms in both groups, and remember to do proactive care of your birds for any illnesses found in his birds.

ETA: You can clip the poo-y feathers around the vent or wash their vent areas. You can also apply vaseline to those feathers. Once they are on your good diet for birds they should stabilize and the problem should quit. It could also be that they were confined to too small a space and couldn't get away from the poop.

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

You might want to add some low-dose antibiotic/electrolyte solution (like tetracycline) to all birds, just as a precaution, and bump up the dosage if signs show of illness.,

 

[speckledhen]

Exposed doesn't always mean infected, so maybe no damage was done. I'd be livid about that!

People are so uninformed about chicken disease!

Antibiotics won't help a thing if they have contracted a virus. Not sure I'd do that, certainly not with the new birds. You want to see symptoms if there is disease present in them, so please do not medicate the new ones.

 

[onthespot]

I'd bleach the waterers at the very least.

 

[loralei]

My DH did a similar thing to me back in December. He added 17 hens and a roo to my coop after dark! I was in a panic but the damage was done. The next day I dusted everyone for mites and thoroughly examined my new flock. They were pretty ratty looking too but I have been feeding them good quality feed, oyster shell and treats. Their feathers are filling in and are developing a glossy sheen. They are friendlier now too and even look forward to treat time when I feed them by hand. Their eggs are even looking better with a smoother texture and richer yolks. To express their graditude they give me at least 6 eggs a day which given the cold and shorter days is outstanding! Baxter, the new roo, is terrific! He keeps the gals together, breaks up fights, alerts them when the hawk is around and calls them to come in at nite. He has a great disposition too!

Given the choice I would never add birds to my flock without quarantining them but it worked out. I hope your new birds do as well as mine have! Enjoy them!

God bless,
Laura

 

[SOchick]

I would clean what I could, and continue with the quarantine as planned, and keep an eye on my flock. I hope all will be well!

 

[snowhorse]

I quarantined the new hens and they all seem to have healthy looking poop, no signs of leg mites or lice through their body. They are very friendly and all run up to me when I walk into the stall I have them in. And out of the 7 birds I got 5 eggs today lol. So I guess they can't be too stressed out with their new living situation.

My flock of 15 seems to be doing fine. I'm not going to treat anyone with antibiotics because everyone seems to be doing just fine right now. The new flock I know where they are from, and he has had them since this past spring. So its unlikely they have anything going on but I still am going to quarantine and probably add them to my new flock 2 at a time at night and see how that goes. By next month they should be looking a little healthier as well. I just don' think they got the feed and the supplements I give mine to have the beautiful feathers they do. So I think they will come around just fine.

I did loose one of my 15 tonight, I believe to either sour crop or impacted, Im not entirely sure. I noticed she was not feeling well yesterday. I gave her OACV and some yogurt and massaged her crop but she was not interested in either and she passed tonight. When I picked her up upside down she had a brown fluid come out of her beak and a decent amount at that. I hope it wasn't from the new birds, but where I noticed her last night I wouldnt think so. But from what I have read I guess it could have been thrush as well. No one else seems to be having anything going on. But I am going to keep my eyes peeled.

Thanks for you advice...and yes I was livid!