Introducing New Hens (Concerned about illness)

[wpmaestri]

We are new to the community and only a few months back received our first four, unvaccinated pullets. The goal has always been to increase our flock size to at least eight. Within a week it was obvious that a respiratory virus was impacting three of our ladies. Based on our research we concluded they had contracted or likely arrived home with infectious coryza. We began treatment. Three of four remain with us and are in relatively good health.

From our research, we understand that those hens will be coryza "carriers" and there is nothing we can do about that. We would appreciate thoughts on introducing new hens to our flock. Coop space is not an issue.

We are most concerned about the new birds' health. Should they be vaccinated and quarantined before introduction to the existing hens? Should we just introduce the new birds, weather the storm, and provide treatment to the entire flock?

Removing our three original hens and waiting the recommended amount of time to restart our flock is not an option.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

Vaccinate the new birds if that is available, and affordable, to you. It won't prevent them from catching it, or being a potential new carrier, but it will reduce death rate and the severity of lifelong symptoms within the new birds. The vaccine still needs to sit within that bird's immune system for at least a week before exposure to anywhere your current flock has been.

Otherwise, you could weather the storm as you said, and accept that new birds will have a possible chance of 20% death rate, reduced laying, and stunted growth.

 

[Debbie292d]

That's such a hard call, and trying to put myself in your shoes.

These birds I'm assuming are for eggs for you and whomever, but not for producing chicks to sell.

That being the case, I think I'd find out how to get them vaccinated like @Fluffy_Butt_Hutt said above first then quarantine for a couple of weeks. If that deemed a huge fiasco and cost, I'd just quarantine them for a couple of weeks anyway, then integrate them.

If you're talking about purchasing chicks though, I'd only buy vaccinated ones.

 

[Debbie292d]

On that note, I have eight that were hatched from a MS
(mycoplasma synoviae) flock. That can spread to the egg, so the chicks could actually be infected with it. The owner of the hatched eggs is a repeat customer of mine who bought the hatching eggs, then when half incubated, she learned the owner had MS. When they were six weeks old, she had her vet test 1/3 of the bunch. All tested negative, and before I bought them, she emailed me the test results.

I still won't take any chances as I have literally thousands tied up in show-quality silkies here. So, they'll be quarantined all winter. They have a pen and shed to themselves on the opposite side of the property as our coops. It's been two weeks, and so far, so good! I'm sure they're fine, but I just have to be sure.

 

[Mrs. K]

I still won't take any chances as I have literally thousands tied up in show-quality silkies here.

That is a valid reason to have a closed flock.

In this case, because you want to add to your flock, I would do a canary bird. Take one of your original birds, and put near the new birds. If that bird stays well, it should be safe. If that bird gets sick, you have saved yourself thousands.

To the OP - I would do the reverse. Put one of the new birds in a cage near the original birds and wait and see.

Mrs K