How long do you guys really quarantine?

[imthedude]

I picked up three new birds last weekend from a guy that had them advertised on CL. I made a 3x6 brooder for my garage to keep them separated from our existing flock to ensure that whatever illnesses they might have did not contaminate the rest of the birds. They've been with us for a week now and are showing no signs of being sick, have no lice mites, etc., and in general appear to be great healthy birds. I'm feeling bad for keeping them locked up in a garage all the time with no exposure to the outside while our other birds get the run of our .75 acres, so I'm thinking about kicking them out to go join the rest of the bunch. Do the rest of you really wait 30 days after quarantine to introduce new birds to your flock?

 

[trilyn]

I know its hard to keep them locked up. But just remember, it isn't forever and it really is beneficial. I kept my last batch locked up for 5 weeks and decided to never bring home adult birds again, way too much of a pain. But, I felt comfortable about letting them in with the rest of the flock after that length of time. After all your hard work raising your original flock, is it worth putting them at risk? NO, but that is just my opinion.

 

[teach1rusl]

I've only introduced birds 2x, and no, I didn't wait the time one should wait to introduce them. Plus my areas were adjacent to one another, and they shouldn't have been (airborne pathogen potential). I waited 2 weeks with one, and about 3 weeks with the other. In both cases though, I knew a little about the owners (BYC members and a friend of DH's). That didn't guarantee anything, but I guess I thought the risk was worth it..

The right thing to do and what we actually do don't always go hand-in-hand.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

I will be completely honest. I was informed a few months ago that my existing flock may well be infected with CRD. I was informed by someone on this forum as a result of posting needing help treating my sick birds. When they outlined the unimagineable lengths I must go to just to survive the "outbreak", I was horrified. They were talking complete "bio containment" of chickens! Now I am grateful for their insight and information, but I live in an area where most birds are bought from someone on a local classifieds or at an auction once a week, so their advice of never buying except from reputable sources was financially not feasible when my birds were already potentially infected. Their other advice was to either cull the lot or never buy or sell. Then you take into consideration that wild birds can spread illness to your flock. So even if you take EVERY precaution your birds may still get sick. Also, some of my birds honestly get "colds" on occasion where they will have runny noses and sneeze for a couple of days and clear up on their own and be fine. My adult birds were all bought, none raised, but I still care about them...but I know firsthand that my birds may be carriers so keeping new birds quarantined for over a month in cramped quarters just to expose them in the end is just something I am not willing to do. I do keep them separate for a week or two, especially if they need to be treated for mites or lice and wormed. My flock is not show quality. But they are also not such "pets" that I would be devastated if they passed away. I do not, however, sell my birds to strangers because of the potential for sickness they may carry. The few people who buy my birds are in the same predicament I am in and know the risks. If the birds are strong enough to "fight through" CRD or MG, they will. If not, they won't.

And before anyone "quotes" me to question my practices, please don't. This is what works for ME.

 

[speckledhen]

Have only had two quarantine situations in five years. First time was five weeks for my Hawkeye and it was complete quarantine. Second time, a very trusted friend whose flock had never had one single health issue gave me an 8 week old chick. She was quarantined for almost eight weeks in a separate coop. I won't do it again because it's too stressful. No bird comes here that wasn't hatched here from eggs from friends or breeders who have a cull-for-illness policy or straight from a hatchery shipment. And I try to avoid hatchery stock entirely now so for me, a quarantine situation shouldn't come up again.

Quarantine has to be at least four to six weeks to allow for symptoms to come to the surface. You can't tell a carrier bird by looking at it and even then, you could allow a carrier into your flock. It's a calculated risk, certainly, to add birds from unknown sources. Breeders sometimes have to bring in new blood and they would take that risk, but they don't buy birds off Craigslist or similar sources.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think this question depends on what you are risking. If you have spent a great deal of time creating a valuable flock, have a large number of fowl, and a valuable genetic pool. THEN you have to be religiously secure and very careful.

If you have 5 or 8 hens in the backyard, so that you can have a few eggs, and because you like chickens, you can be a little more risky. BUT know that you are risking the health of your flock.

People often say on here, there are lots of roos. Well to me, there are lots of chickens, if I lose some it irritates me, makes me a bit mad, but I get some more. I have raised chickens, and bought chickens, and had chickens given to me. I have hatched eggs, and gotten day old chicks. I like chickens. I have never had an issue with illness, but if I did, I would just cull those birds and go on. To me my old favorites are friends, and while I will miss them, if I lose them, it is not the end of the earth to me.

However, no matter how noble the cause, I would never get a chicken that appears sick or lousy.

If that can be or is your attitude to your chickens, and the birds appear healthy put them with your flock and move on. If losing your flock would put you in a state of decline, keep the quarantine. It is a risk. It is kind of like driving without your seatbelt, sometimes you can get away with it, other times a very poor decision.

MrsK

 

[abhaya]

I have gotten adult chickens 2x. Once from a breeder who shows all her stock is fully vacsinated(sp) and she has awesome bio security so I did not do a long quarentine. I was completely confident in the health of her birds. The other time was from a guy next door. we both free range and our chicken mingle sometimes so if they had anything they have already been exposed. I would do a full quarentine on birds I did not know the owner.

 

[IdealisticRoo]

I should quarantine longer than I do. I know this. I typically wait several weeks, but in the case of my new rooster, I just put him into the henhouse when I got home. I know this is risky. I did get to see where he was living when I picked him up and he was well taken care of, clean and happy. I did check him for lice and mites.

I have had problems in the past. As a kid, I thought it great fun to acquire and trade chickens any chance I got. I ended up with a flock that had lice, mites and I even brought home some silkies and polish that were really sick, not sure what it was, but they flopped around and didsomersaults constantly! I had to kill them which was really hard for a young teenager, but I learned a lesson.

I hope that by being picky, keeping my coops/ runs very clean and exercising good common sense, that I can avoid any sickness for my birds.

 

[bywaterdog]

I only have a small backyard flock, but any new birds get a 4 week quarantine at the minimum. I've worked too hard to lose them for being impatient.

 

[BayouPoules]

Quote:
Yep,. too much, money, time and work have gone into my flock to take the risk.