My former boss called. Her friends tenant has 5 chickens and had then in their home.....in an apartment with no yard.....anyway....They were told to remove the chickens ASAP. The folks had no where to send them and knowing I live on a farm and currently have 3 roosters - My former boss called me. She is kind of a problem solver and thought perhaps I could keep the chickens. She gave me the number for the people. They were given 6 chicks as a gift one chick died and the rest survived. They are all pullets of some mystery kind some are red and some are dark brown. I will pick them up on Sunday - They are about 4 mos old - I bet they were hatched for easter. Long story short - they are coming Sunday - Or I will pick them up on Sunday. I had to promise I would not eat them - which I won't eat them so that was not a problem but Roosters lay not so...I will not grant Roosters Sanctuary and free food. Currently, I have 4 coops and 3 roosters. I do not want to cross contaminate either bunch. I am expecting 12 chicks via the mail next week. They will go into the brooder but will be part of the equation at some point. When you isolate new chickens to your flock - how do you isolate them? Thanks for any advice Caroline
Mine go in the garage in a makeshift pen for 2-4 weeks. Kinda of messy and smelly but once they are out so is the odor. Here is George in the setup I use for a hospital and quarantine. I secure chicken wire on top and the tarp on the bottom helps with the final clean up. You can roll it up and either burn it or throw it away. Once I'm finished using the cage, I'll clean it and the floor with chlorox mixture. The garage is a quiet area so the birds remain calm. The wooden hutch works well with one or two birds. I clean this with chlorahexidine solution. But the wood makes it difficult to truly sanitize its surfaces.
Thanks - I don't have a garage but I do have some large dog crates. I am repainting the coops after I bleach them out. Giving me ideas. Usually one bird is easier but 5 large pullets are freaking me out a little. Caroline
We who keep many birds will have a separate pen with plenty of room. For example, I have a 20' x 8' grow off pen built onto a 5'x6' coop. The floor to the penned area is concrete. I remove soiled shavings, disinfect, and treat with Permethrin before use for new birds. I can use it to raise chicks, quarantine new birds, or use it as a sick bay. Using crates, and cages are stressful for birds to be housed for extended periods of time. Unless they are 5 weeks or younger, I wouldn't recommend such limited space.
Dog crates will work if you keep the new birds where your current flock wont come into contact with them in any way. Look after them LAST. Change your shoes and wash after handling them. Don't bring their feeders to your feed room, don't dump their waterers where your birds can drink from their water. Think things through first. If any come down sick, have it tested for disease. I also quarantine birds in my garage. But a shed or the end of a barn or something away from your birds will also work. When the chicks come, look after them first. Then you can't carry germs in from any older birds to the new babies. I tend to handle it this way: look after the youngest first (which are usually in the brooder in my dining room...sigh), look after the rest of the birds, put on coveralls and boots at the garage door, then look after the quarantined birds. Take that stuff off and leave it in the garage with the quarantined birds and wash then go about my day. Repeat later.
