How do you keep show chickens from picking up diseases?

[elieugene6]

This question goes out to all the people on here that take their chickens to shows. How do you keep them from contracting some type of illness? Are they all vaccinated against everything? Is it even possible? Or do you just keep them separated from your non show chickens and treat for whatever they pick up? It seems like showing is opening yourself up to major diseases but I wish to start and my son wants to show in 4h. At both local fairs last year I saw obviously sick poultry and I would have thought that it would have been removed from the grounds but it wasn't, it was there all week. I don't know if national shows are the same way but I just don't understand. I looked at my bantam standard and it states directly in the book that any obviously sick bird should be removed. I know that most diseases picked up make them carriers for life. So how could you sell your birds at a later date. I am not trying to put anyone down or start an argument I am just trying to figure out how to go about this.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Did you say anything to "the powers that be" at the fairs? They might not have noticed. Yes, the sick bird(s) should have been removed immediately. As I'm sure you noticed though, the birds at a fair are a far cry from the caliber of birds you might see at a larger show. About 75% of the birds at our local fair this year were mutts anyway. I am really struggling with the fact that my son will have to keep his showmanship bird at the fairgrounds for the whole week next year.

As a general rule, after going to a show, you should quarantine your birds for at least 30 days afterward. I don't have the room to do this, so I take my chances. Though if I had a visibly sick bird that I was sure was something infectious, I would cull it. Yes, when you show you are really taking your chances, and hoping that everyone is as honest as you are and aren't bringing carriers to the shows. I only vaccinate against Mareks.

 

[CheshieChick13]

I feel ya! That is one thing I worry about when and if I start showing! I have read that some people use Oxine to mist their birds at shows. Even using this I would want to quarentine after a show. Im in the same boat though. I am a small back yard flock owner, so quarentine would be hard to manage

Heres a link for Oxine.
http://www.eggcartons.com/product-exec/product_id/894/nm/Oxine_AH_1_Gallon_OXI

 

[Celtic Hill]

I read somewhere that garlic boosts their immune system so i cook crushed garlic into grits and feed it to them the night before the show. I don't show fairs for one reason, is i feel that some of the people at the fairs arn't as serious enough and im afraid that if i bring mine to a fair that they will get something. On the other hand one could argue that you can pick something up at APA shows but i would hope that because most of the birds at APA shows are taken really good care of because they are quality birds.

 

[elieugene6]

I did mention it to one of the people that was selling the birds for everyone but he said oh no its fine.

I actually purchased oxine last night online and am waiting for it to be shipped to me. I purchased some birds that wound up being sick. I am thankful that I quarantined but now want to clean out the quarantine area (read basement). That is what got me to thinking about this. I really loved those chickens and to have to destroy them is really bothering me. I don't know exactly what they had but it was definitely a respiratory thing. Snotty nose, sneezing and runny, icky eyes. I was almost ready to put them outside. It had been 5 weeks if I had only waited the 4 that I originally had planned they would have already been in the same area as my flock.

 

[CheshieChick13]

Quote:
OH NO! Scary!!! Im so sorry, that is a horrible situation

The respiratory stuff scares me, It's so contagious! It makes me want to bring home isolations gowns, gloves and masks from work anytime I get a new chicken!
I keep reading that its the respiratory stuff that they can be carriers for life with

So far I have been so lucky (knock on wood) to not have gotten a sick bird. Of course that's that I know of...... None of my hatches have ever come down with anything either so I think my flocks in the good

 

[NYREDS]

I have been showing since 1960. I do not vaccinate. I do not quarantine my birds when returning from a show. I do not medicate any illness because I rarely ever have a sick bird. As far as I know I have never brought home any disease from a show.
I do dust the returning birds with louse powder before putting them back in the coop but that's it.

 

[CheshieChick13]

Quote:
You are a brave, brave person....I'm so paranoid LOL!

 

[turbo]

One think I always keep in mind is this....I never take my best birds to the shows, I know that sounds crazy but if I have a cockbird or hen that I cant afford to loose, I leave them at home. I have several that I just cant afford to take a chance on getting sick or stolen...which is more likely to happen than getting sick.

Also I show alot of call ducks...and heck they dont get sick like the chickens...well they can but rarely.

Jerry

 

[elieugene6]

Quote:
If you did have one become sick. Would you cull it right away or would you give it a chance?

I am leaning towards the if it gets sick it needs to go school of thought. I was following the breeding for resistance thread and it really made me think. I don't want to have a bunch of birds that get sick easily. It would make it impossible to show them with all the exposure they would get.