Have you bought chicks from Tractor Supply this spring?

[Arelwood]

I didn't buy at TSC, but at Bomgaar's. They did require name, address, and telephone. Along with how many and what breed. This was in Iowa.

 

[Sonya9]

The government already knows where most of them are because breeders are licensed and everyone ships thru Usps

Yup they do which is why I have paid cash when purchasing before. My small flock (mostly oeg bantams) are cherished pets and even if they did get exposed I would hope/expect at least some may survive/recover if given the chance.

Once they recuperate they are no longer an infection risk to anyone, they stop shedding the active virus by 10 days.

 

[McChooky]

Yup they do which is why I have paid cash when purchasing before. My small flock (mostly oeg bantams) are cherished pets and even if they did get exposed I would hope/expect at least some may survive/recover if given the chance.

Once they recuperate they are no longer an infection risk to anyone, they stop shedding the active virus by 10 days.

I can't say there are any herbs that would kill that particular virus but there are some that prevent a virus from reproducing in the body so the effects are minimal.Olive leaf is one of them but I haven't googled it to see if its safe for chickens. Very few people around here have chickens so I'd be the last place they looked.I only have 6 to begin with.

 

[Sonya9]

I can't say there are any herbs that would kill that particular virus but there are some that prevent a virus from reproducing in the body so the effects are minimal.Olive leaf is one of them but I haven't googled it to see if its safe for chickens. Very few people around here have chickens so I'd be the last place they looked.I only have 6 to begin with.

Ivermectin is effective against the avian flu and also commonly used in chickens. Plus I live in Georgia, only a handful of wild birds have tested positive and with zero domestic flocks. Since temps are already reaching 80 regularly I would expect that to slow the spread of the virus since it doesn't live as long at warmer temps so hopefully we won't get hit (unless of course we buy chicks from a hatchery that got hit and the state kills all our birds instead).

 

[McChooky]

Ivermectin is effective against the avian flu and also commonly used in chickens. Plus I live in Georgia, only a handful of wild birds have tested positive and with zero domestic flocks. Since temps are already reaching 80 regularly I would expect that to slow the spread of the virus since it doesn't live as long at warmer temps so hopefully we won't get hit (unless of course we buy chicks from a hatchery that got hit and the state kills all our birds instead).

Yes ivermectin is effective.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Reporting requirements vary by State, minimum orders by State and/or municipality. Here in FL, there's no reporting (beyond what they record in their own transaction records w/ credit cards, "member rewards programs", etc), but there is a chick minimum in my area.

 

[Sonya9]

Glad I went the hatching egg route for this year's babies.

Yeah my bantam hen wanted to hatch eggs but I already have 2 extra roosters so we don't need more!

On the upside I just rehomed one of my super tame bantam boys last weekend. Went to a good friend that has a dozen layers so he was one VERY happy boy!

 

[awagnon]

We bought six chicks at our local TSC in North Texas. Didn't have to give any information, but we have a tax exempt farm account there so they already had it anyway. The store said minimum was 4 chick but we got 6. I sure wish they had told us that they are NOT vaccinated for anything. ugh. Kinda paranoid now with reading the threads on what can and does go wrong.

 

[chicken_harpist]

In Central Florida, there was a four (4) chick minimum; I brought home 5

I went to the Apopka store and they didn't ask for ID or name/address/phone, but I did sign up for the rewards. Not sure if they would be able to use that if need be.

 

[Sonya9]

We bought six chicks at our local TSC in North Texas. Didn't have to give any information, but we have a tax exempt farm account there so they already had it anyway. The store said minimum was 4 chick but we got 6. I sure wish they had told us that they are NOT vaccinated for anything. ugh. Kinda paranoid now with reading the threads on what can and does go wrong.

I wouldn't worry about not having vaccines. Just give them medicated feed and keep their stress level low. The Marek's vaccine is bad news anyway (it allows birds to spread super deadly forms of it). Doesn't matter in a closed flock but I would never buy a Marek's vaccinated bird from anywhere other than straight from the hatchery.