OK, I posted a few days ago on my RIR roos that I got instead of hens. I got 8 pullet chicks that turned out to be 8 roo chicks.
The hatchery guy offered to trade me 8 RIR pullets about 2 months old for my 8 roos that are 3 months old. I told him I couldn't do it because I have nowhere to quarantine 8 two-month-old birds for a month, because they are too big to fit in my bathtub (which is where my chicks were raised for their first month of life (which was also effectively a one-month quarantine).
I was also somewhat concerned about the fact that he treats his birds with antibiotics on a regular basis, and if I took his "treated" birds with the possibility of some resistant bacteria developing, and put them in with my "untreated" birds, I might infect MY flock with something that isn't even showing up in HIS flock (because he continually medicates).
He even mentioned that "birds can catch CRV, if you've never had it you haven't messed with chickens". I admitted that I surely hadn't, and the first chickens that I got were just this March. So I haven't had CRV or any disease in my flock.
I need some serious, fast advice on what I can/should do here:
He understands my need for quarantine and has come up with a potential solution! He offered to bring over one of HIS portable cages (because I don't have one) and put it on MY property with the pullets!
I would certainly have to keep them some distance from my other birds, wouldn't I? And I would want to start them on probiotics to re-establish their guts, etc. So I have a multiple-pronged question here:
1) IF I take these pullets, and quarantine on my property for a month, and everyone SEEMS OK, could I still be passing CRV into my flock? (Note above - he mentioned that he had outbreaks of it in his flock before, but he claims that "everyone has".) And if so, is it something to really worry about, since "wild birds" pooping into my chicken run could also pass something like this? Is it one of those "you're gonna get it in your flock eventually so don't worry too much about it, just try to keep your chickens healthy and you shouldn't have an outbreak"?
2) Is it a bad idea to take birds that are managed with regular antibiotics for the first part of their lives and then take them off them and try to manage them without antiobiotics? Are their immune systems likely to recover OK? Or will they potentially be "low thriving" birds? Will they be more prone to get sick themselves? (forget passing something to my other birds, just asking about THESE birds)
3) IF we go this route, for a "proper quarantine" how far do these gals need to be from my birds? I would make sure they are "downhill" so no feces wash into my coop from severe rainstorms. But what about airborne problems? What is the "minimum safe distance"?
I'd really appreciate some feedback on this, soon if possible - my 8 roos are starting to fight, and I'm going to have a bloodbath on my hands soon.
THANKS in advance for your help!
The hatchery guy offered to trade me 8 RIR pullets about 2 months old for my 8 roos that are 3 months old. I told him I couldn't do it because I have nowhere to quarantine 8 two-month-old birds for a month, because they are too big to fit in my bathtub (which is where my chicks were raised for their first month of life (which was also effectively a one-month quarantine).
I was also somewhat concerned about the fact that he treats his birds with antibiotics on a regular basis, and if I took his "treated" birds with the possibility of some resistant bacteria developing, and put them in with my "untreated" birds, I might infect MY flock with something that isn't even showing up in HIS flock (because he continually medicates).
He even mentioned that "birds can catch CRV, if you've never had it you haven't messed with chickens". I admitted that I surely hadn't, and the first chickens that I got were just this March. So I haven't had CRV or any disease in my flock.
I need some serious, fast advice on what I can/should do here:
He understands my need for quarantine and has come up with a potential solution! He offered to bring over one of HIS portable cages (because I don't have one) and put it on MY property with the pullets!
1) IF I take these pullets, and quarantine on my property for a month, and everyone SEEMS OK, could I still be passing CRV into my flock? (Note above - he mentioned that he had outbreaks of it in his flock before, but he claims that "everyone has".) And if so, is it something to really worry about, since "wild birds" pooping into my chicken run could also pass something like this? Is it one of those "you're gonna get it in your flock eventually so don't worry too much about it, just try to keep your chickens healthy and you shouldn't have an outbreak"?
2) Is it a bad idea to take birds that are managed with regular antibiotics for the first part of their lives and then take them off them and try to manage them without antiobiotics? Are their immune systems likely to recover OK? Or will they potentially be "low thriving" birds? Will they be more prone to get sick themselves? (forget passing something to my other birds, just asking about THESE birds)
3) IF we go this route, for a "proper quarantine" how far do these gals need to be from my birds? I would make sure they are "downhill" so no feces wash into my coop from severe rainstorms. But what about airborne problems? What is the "minimum safe distance"?
I'd really appreciate some feedback on this, soon if possible - my 8 roos are starting to fight, and I'm going to have a bloodbath on my hands soon.
THANKS in advance for your help!
