Keeping my birds healthy when neighbor has sick animals

[BullChick]

First, I have searched the site, and have not seen this topic covered. Second, I sure hope I have this in the right place.
Okay, I live on a piece of farmland that was divided up amongst two children and a sibling. We each have about an acre, with my property being about an acre and a half.
I now have six chicks, and already plan on expanding my flock. Unfortunately, the neighbors (DH's cousins) have decided to get some chickens again too. Last night one chick froze to death. Apparently they have newborns, and no heat lamp. We are expecting 18 inches of snow, and they thought a small barn would be an okay place to put the babies. They also have 30 some cats that never get any vet care, and die of all kinds of diseases. It is not uncommon for the live cats to be covered in maggots.
I am telling you this to make you understand that they are not going to keep their chickens healthy. I am wondering how much danger my birds are in. They will be kept in a run (as will the neighbor's) but I don't know how well germs spread via air, shoes (I can't ban relatives from my yard!) mosquitoes, etc. I already know mosquitoes spread germs from all neighboring farms, but when the distance between coops is so close... What precautions do I need to take? Should I go ahead and vaccinate my small brood?
Am I worrying too much?

 

[what did I do]

I am not any kind of an expert and have only had chickens for a year but I live on a farm.

Yes, vaccinate your chicks before you get them.
Most diseases and viruses only affect the one kind of animal. So the dead cats shouldn't make your chickens sick. DO NOT TAKE ANY OF THEIR ANIMALS IN, we found this out the hard way with cats. We now have to spend over $100 a year on cat shots because we took in a cousins cat.

 

[bairo]

Separation of physical contact is of the utmost importance. I understand you can not ban them from your yard....but I would make darn sure they do not enter your coop or run. As matter of fact, that would be my biggest worry that they walk in their coop / run and then walk in yours. Try and design your run so that it is covered on top as well (even with bird netting or chicken wire is better than nothing. You don't want to take the chance of their chickens coming over and getting into your run. Other wise just practice cleanliness in your coop and run. It is advantageous if you can let your flock free range several times a week....but depending on if there is another fence dividing your property I would be very watchful. Maybe let them out only when you can keep a close eye on things. I cant tell you to be sneaky or devious but If a cat like theirs roamed onto my property I might be known to help it disappear and not say anything about it.

PS. Feed your chicks only medicated feed for the first 6 weeks. There is also some information on "my coop" page that you may want to take a look at to know what to watch for as well as some preventive measures.

 

[speckledhen]

Vaccinate chicks for what? There are too many diseases to vaccinate against and some are live viruses that make them carriers anyway.


You'd best surround your coop with a sturdy pen with locks on doors and forbid entrance by them or anyone else. You'll have to be very determined and strong about this or you will never have healthy animals because of them. Educate yourself on chicken diseases and biosecurity and give them a simply worded handout on it, if you can work one up. They can track in disease on shoes and clothing, birds getting into your property can bring it with them, etc. There has to be a barrier between your flock and theirs and a good one.


Medicated feed only helps them build immunity to coccidiosis, and it isn't even foolproof for that; it doesn't have any effect on the many communicable diseases that this situation may bring into your life. It's not going to make any difference here.

Their cats will kill your young chicks unless you have a good covered pen for those. If it was me, every one I saw on my property would disappear, never to be seen again. It does not matter to me that they are family. Family is sometimes the worst to deal with. I feel for you. Makes me stressed just thinking about it.

 

[BullChick]

I have found your post to be the most helpful. Thank you very much. I read your ailment page, and copied it for further reference.
My husband wants to get a pet wolf. No more cats in our yard! I reminded him that he has a small dog. The wolf would eat him too!
Free ranging is not an option. Not only are the cats a problem, but we have hawks flying around too. Fortunately, the bears shouldn't be able to get into the coop at night.

I really just needed to be reassured that I would be okay as long as I use common sense. THANK YOU!

 

[BullChick]

Vaccinate chicks for what? There are too many diseases to vaccinate against and some are live viruses that make them carriers anyway.

I have read a lot about vaccinations, and had decided against worrying about it with my small brood. I was wondering if I should do any serious vaccinating against anything at all with the neighbors adding chickens back into their cluster of poor animals. I now feel confident that keeping my area clean will be enough.
I do have to wonder... If I were to take their chicks within the first week, what are the chances of their chicks being exposed to anything already?

 

[speckledhen]

Chicks can be carriers of disease if they have been exposed to any other birds at their place or in a brooder that had sick birds in it already. Some diseases can be passed down through the egg, even, like mycoplasmosis. So, age is no guarantee that the bird will be healthy. A member here had to fight infectious Coryza for two years because someone gave her son a week-old chick that brought it in and she didn't properly quarantine it until symptoms became apparent.


If you take their first batch before they've ever had any other birds, depending on where they got those chicks (direct from hatchery or some other farm), you may be okay. Sort of depends on a few things.

 

[BullChick]

Well, it seems they are going to keep their babies (Papa don't preach. I'm in trouble deep...). I am now being told by other family members that they are not usually so careless with the chickens. No one knows why they would leave peeps out in the snow, but the chickens they have had in the past were all healthy. I am still going to be cautious. In fact, the coop is going to be half of a shed, and there will be no outside door to the run. The only way to access my chickens is through the other side of the shed, which will be locked. The bonus is that there will be no accidental escapes when DH is going in to check on the flock.
Thank you for all of your responses.
On the funny side, when the power kept going out yesterday, I told the dog he was going to have to play Mama Hen, and keep the chicks warm. I swear he said an enthusiastic "YES! YES! YES!" He really seems to like them (in a good way). I know better than to leave him alone with them, but I really think he is going to be a good "cheep" dog.

 

[Beekissed]

The only thing I have found to be a preventative to getting diseases in my livestock is to practice preventative instead of curative health care and, from day one, build immune systems so that no matter what pathogen enters their living areas they have healthy, functioning immune systems that do just what they are supposed to do...isolate that pathogen, build antibodies against it and thereafter have an immunity towards it.

You cannot control all of the germs they will come in contact with but you can control how ready they are to weather these onslaughts on their systems.

 

[speckledhen]

Healthy immune systems through proper management and nutrition are key, that is very true. Then, even if they are exposed, they may be able to resist the bacteria or virus. Many don't pay enough attention to this aspect of animal husbandry. However, if they are continually exposed to pathogens, eventually, one will succumb.