Is acquiring at swaps worth it?

[NewcoopNewpoop]

We are thinking seriously about getting two more hens to add to our two current hens.
Is getting 2 more at a swap worth it?
I hear plenty of horror stories but obviously people still go or it wouldnt be a thing.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It is always a risk. In my experiences going that route birds would often have respiratory problems. I've gotten young chicks okay from a swap meet, but older birds are potentially carrying diseases you probably don't wish to bring home.

 

[Mrs. K]

Do not buy anything you feel sorry for. Do inspect closely for mites or lice. Do a fecal float for worms. Do keep a standard 4 week quarantine if you can.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

Just like people, the more they mix the more likely they are to get diseases or parasites. We just had the Superbowl down here, a lot of people will be going home with stuff they don't want.

You hear horror stories because they do happen but, as you point out, a lot of people go to them. Some people don't have issues. A lot of the time any issues are more inconveniences that you can deal with, like you going home from the Superbowl with a cold. I'd put mite, lice, and worms in that category. You can treat those. Rarely, but occasionally, they may bring home something that wipes out their flock. There are definitely risks. Some not so big but some potentially catastrophic.

Quarantine is one way to reduce your risks, but it is not fool-proof. Diseases and parasites can be transmitted by them sharing the same ground, eating or drinking out of the same containers, can be spread by vectors like insects or wild birds, or carried on the wind. The better your isolation the better your quarantine.

Chickens can develop immunities. They can be carriers but never show symptoms themselves. Quarantine is not much help with those.

If you are getting anything other than baby chicks your safest bet is from an established flock that does not mix with strange chickens.

This is another of those many cases where it might help to know where you are located, at least your country. I'll assume you are in the USA so I can respond but I'm not sure how any of these will suit you.

Go to the "Buy-Sell-Trade" section of this forum and start a thread. Include your location in the title to attract the attention of your neighbors.

Look for your State or Country thread in the "Where am I? Where are you!" section of this forum and chat with your neighbors.

Chat with the people at your feed store. They may know someone local that can help or they may have a bulletin board where you can post an ad.

Contact your county extension office and chat with them. They may know somebody that can help you.

Can you find a local Facebook (or equivalent) chicken group you can chat with? They exist in a few places.

Good luck!

 

[townchicks]

You might also check on craigslist, in the farm section. I regularly see ads there for started pullets, point of lay and laying hens. Still risky, but if they don't go to swaps or shows, it seems lower risk to me. You might even ask the seller about all those things, as well as, do they free range, do they buy chicks and raise to sell, are the chicks raised from their own stock, are they NPIP, etc. That may help you evaluate lower or higher risk factors.

 

[NewcoopNewpoop]

You might also check on craigslist, in the farm section. I regularly see ads there for started pullets, point of lay and laying hens. Still risky, but if they don't go to swaps or shows, it seems lower risk to me. You might even ask the seller about all those things, as well as, do they free range, do they buy chicks and raise to sell, are the chicks raised from their own stock, are they NPIP, etc. That may help you evaluate lower or higher risk factors.

What is NPIP?

 

[Ridgerunner]

What is NPIP?

National Poultry Improvement Program. It is a Federal program that worked and is still working.

Pullorum is a disease that was hitting commercial poultry operations hard. The federal government agreed to offer some financial help to individual states of the states would set up a program to fight Pullorum. 48 of the 50 states did. Each state set it up differently. Some states only combat Pullorum. Others added other things into their program.

Pullorum went from being a danger to the US Poultry industry to now being very rare. It is not exterminated yet but several states have gone a long time since finding a case.

A key point in this is that each state set it up differently. All include Pullorum, some include other diseases, some do not. Do not assume just because a state is NPIP that their NPIP program covers the same things yours does.