??How do I add to my flock without risking my current chickens??

[Picky Chicky]

I'm running into this problem myself. I currently have 5 girls and am wanting to add about 5 more. I'm having to really push DH to hurry and build my quarentine/jail/hospital/brooder coop before this weekend so I can quarentine. The problem is... if my Japanese Buff is successful at hatching any of her 6 eggs then I will have to evict the newbies 2 weeks early (so quarentine for 2 instead of 4 weeks) and just hope and pray for the best.

I need more property to hide more coops!

 

[Dave24319]

I can understand what you guys are saying about keeping the new ones from the old ones and all that,But as a kid--we kept chickens long as I can remember. And from time to time--Dad would buy a few new ones--Bring them home and throw them right in there with the rest of them---No big deal.

Yes, pecking order was on! But other then that--Few days later---you would never really know new ones from old one in there acting.

I don't ever remember any problems of sickness in them either,Maybe we was just lucky and the Chickens too!

Dave

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
I have to agree. With all due respect to Ms Damerow & her excellent book chickens are much hardier than you might think.
There are a lot of horror stories here about chicken illnesses but that just hasn't been my experience.
I go to several shows every year, have never had my birds contract an illness at any of them. I do not quarantine birds when I return from a show-never have-they go right back in with the other birds when I get home. The only thing I do is apply louse powder to the returning birds in case they've picked up some passengers.
Also I often fall victim to the appeal of something I haven't raised. I should stay away from the sale cages when I go to shows but I don't seem to be able to do so. I am careful of who I buy from but I often bring home a trio of something that catches my eye. I don't quarantine these birds either. They go right into the barn with everything else.
Now I don't doubt that chickens get diseases I know they do. I just think there's an element of paranoia to some of these discussions.
Oh, I also don't maintain "bio security"-I love showing my birds to people who express an interest. That's another way to promote the fancy.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I go to several shows every year, have never had my birds contract an illness at any of them.

Aren't all birds entered in the shows required to be tested before they can enter?

And even at that I won't risk my flocks to bringing anything in when a quarantine period is an easy way to make sure. I don't plan on getting into a car accident today but I have auto insurance, things happen. I have known people that have lost years of breeding work by just adding birds straight to their flock.

Steve in NC​

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Aren't all birds entered in the shows required to be tested before they can enter?

And even at that I won't risk my flocks to bringing anything in when a quarantine period is an easy way to make sure. I don't plan on getting into a car accident today but I have auto insurance, things happen. I have known people that have lost years of breeding work by just adding birds straight to their flock.

Steve in NC

In NY birds have to be tested for Pullorum before being entered in shows. Some states also require AI testing. I don't know of any state that requires birds be tested for every known bird disease.
Do what you will with your birds. That's your decision & I frankly don't much care what other people choose to do.
Interesting that you pulled one sentence out of what I said & responded to it rather than to the point I was actually making. The sentence you chose to respond to was to illustrate my point which is that chickens are not nearly as prone to disease as reading some of these threads would have you think.

 

[Picky Chicky]