How 'extra' do I have to be?

[dalasgalas]

I have my outdoor yard shoes that stay next to the back door. We haven't had issues.

 

[Cryss]

Honestly, hand sanitizer and rubber boots will get you through with little to no disease fanfare.
What you really need to be fretting over is getting your plans together and getting your hubby working on a coop like yesterday!
You are so pressed for time you don't even know lol!
BTW Welcome, and enjoy the world of chickens!

Ain't that the truth!!
Personally I never use hand sanitizer if soap and water are available. It dries the skin killing even the good protective bacteria and causing minuscule cracks letting bad bacteria in. Hand sanitizer is helpful in flu and cold season when shopping with a cart and/or just picking up items previously handled by staff or customers. Once I'm back home I wash that sanitizer off too.

 

[Chickassan]

Oh its good stuff if you're out there in the coop and you touch something you wish you hadn't lol!
Just a "place holder" until you can get inside to wash proper. Definitly not something a person should lean on but its waaay better than nothing.

Ain't that the truth!!
Personally I never use hand sanitizer if soap and water are available. It dries the skin killing even the good protective bacteria and causing minuscule cracks letting bad bacteria in. Hand sanitizer is helpful in flu and cold season when shopping with a cart and/or just picking up items previously handled by staff or customers. Once I'm back home I wash that sanitizer off too.

 

[Cryss]

True.

 

[Cryss]

Here's a tip if you want your chickens to be friendly and easy to pick up (good for when you need to do the occasional health inspection ). Right now, while they are itty bitty spend lots of time with them. Handle them often! They won't be so flighty and afraid of you. And you'll learn more about them.

 

[meglynnie]

Here's a tip if you want your chickens to be friendly and easy to pick up (good for when you need to do the occasional health inspection ). Right now, while they are itty bitty spend lots of time with them. Handle them often! They won't be so flighty and afraid of you. And you'll learn more about them.

Yes I am doing that! Handling them right now is my favorite part

 

[meglynnie]

Another add on question, I've read that its good to take the chicks out for 'outside play time', is this really okay to do? Today it's sunny, not windy, and 50 degrees.

 

[Chicken cas]

I just wash my hands after messing with birds.

If your shoes are extremely messy you can wash them. A litter pan with light bleach water (where birds can't get it) is a good plan by back door. Water n bleach just deep enough to rinse shoes off. Other than that hand wash n no kissing birds.

 

[Chicken cas]

That’s true as well! BYC still an okay place to learn ?

Caution the support at BYC can lead to chicken math. This announcement has no scientific basis. But boy do we have fun!

 

[Cryss]

Another add on question, I've read that its good to take the chicks out for 'outside play time', is this really okay to do? Today it's sunny, not windy, and 50 degrees.

I would imagine it is a regional issue and would depend on where you live. The younger they are the less you want to expose them to drastic temperature changes especially if they don't have feathers yet. Whatever the temperature is in the coldest spot of their brooder where they hang out is the lowest temperature you want to expose them to. Temperatures in the brooder need to be lowered by increments to help them acclimate as they develop true feathers.