How many of your birds are hatchiery birds vs. "home grown" chickens?

[Fancie]

how many of your birds come from a hatchery? How many are from someone elses flock? how many came from your own personal flock? if from your own how many generations are you in.

I have 2 adult hen silkies both from someone elses flock, but just got some chicks (think 25) from Ideal. I plan on getting eggs later in the year from personal breeders.

Hoping to close my flock up in the next 2 - 3 years.

 

[Majestic Lane Poultry]

My advice is to close you flock now. You can brood or incubate eggs from this point on. With over twenty babies now...you do not want to risk their health by bringing in something new. If you do choose to bring in chickens make sure to have a completely seperate quarantine area.

Best of luck

 

[AmazonDragon]

I will agree with Must Be Crazy.

 

[Teach97]

I have nothing from a hatchery...birds from probably 12 different breeders...bunch I raised on my own...why close when I don't own everything!

Didn't see where you were asking for opinions on closing your flock though...

Curious why you are getting birds from a hatchery and breeders though? Are you raising birds for fun and eggs or planning on raising show birds?

 

[Fancie]

Quarentine... forgot all about that part.... I have to make up a cage for that in my plans (will post in the next few days.)

How long should a bird be quarentined? a couple weeks? 4 x 8 Foot cage should be surfecant for 1 - 2 silkies no?

both hatchery and breeders birds?? Many reasons...

1.) cheaper way to learn I have lost 2 roosters and a hen already to stupid mistakes. (2 drowned in my pond before we fenced it in and 1 got eaten by a cat before I started locking them in at night) plus a clutch of self hatch birds last year (my dog got them) I kinda want to perfect brooding etc. befor I move on to incubating.
2.) I'm very impatient
3.) No egg sellers want to wait for a Money Order, I don't have a paypal account yet.
4.) I have gotten some nice birds out of a hatchiery... not sure if it was a fluke...

I figure I'll weed them out as I get less room. I am planning on houseing 2 trio/quads.

 

[speckledhen]

Quarantine should be at least a month, better yet, six weeks. Still, it is not perfect since a carrier bird could still be ill, but not show any symptoms. And they should not breathe the same air space as the rest of your flock or it's pretty useless.


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[Cuban Longtails]

I quarantine new birds for 4 weeks.

The dimensions of your pen seems fine to me.

 

[Fancie]

are there any good post/books to read up on dieses and such...

Isn't a bird that is shown be just as likely to catch something and bring it home as a newly introduced bird.

 

[ChickenToes]

My flock will be closed this spring when I receive my last shipment of ducklings. My husband and I are building an incubator in case we want to hatch out more babies from the stock we already have. At some point I'll want to bring some new lines into my flock, but I'll buy hatching eggs instead of birds.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Quote:
Yes, I read... I believe in Backyard Poultry that you should keep your show birds and breeding stock separate and never take birds to shows back to back, you should rotate them out because of all the stress.