Let's Talk About Why You Should Quarantine New Birds

[Love Donkeys]

Our Chickens are free-range so they're pretty healthy. If we had new adult birds we would absolutely quarantine. Our new chicks come from our broody hens. To get to our coop you have to go two gates. The outside gate sign is no trespassing, then you would walk 100' through the livestock catch-pen to the second gate with its sign. As far as we know, no one has tried to get to our coop.

One day we did come home to find a full grown Saint Bernard dog sitting in the driver's seat of our cattle truck. The County Sheriff took care of him for us. Felt bad for the dog, but we didn't need a dog with unknown behavior problems.

 

[GlicksChicks]

Our Chickens are free-range so they're pretty healthy. If we had new adult birds we would absolutely quarantine. Our new chicks come from our broody hens. To get to our coop you have to go two gates. The outside gate sign is no trespassing, then you would walk 100' through the livestock catch-pen to the second gate with its sign. As far as we know, no one has tried to get to our coop.

One day we did come home to find a full grown Saint Bernard dog sitting in the driver's seat of our cattle truck. The County Sheriff took care of him for us. Felt bad for the dog, but we didn't need a dog with unknown behavior problems. View attachment 3909723View attachment 3909725

I bet you have a nice chicken place!

 

[Love Donkeys]

I bet you have a nice chicken place!

Thank you....... It's not fancy but it works for us.......

 

[GlicksChicks]

Thank you....... It's not fancy but it works for us.......

It doesn't have to be fancy if it works!

 

[2 chiks n a roo]

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[2 chiks n a roo]

No horror stories (only have had my original hens so far), but a question. I see people saying they get day old chicks and then put under a broody if they don’t have fertilized eggs, how would that quarantine situation work?

From experience.. it doesn't..

I bought what I was lead to believe 3 hens a year ago, 2 were but then one started to grow and make some noise.. and he kept growing and crowing..
Anyway, one of the girls got broody so I got some eggs from a friend of a friend and popped them under the soon to be mumma..
She sat on them for a week then started tossing them out (8 eggs)
A few days later she was sick, she had bright green watery poop, a snotty nose and zero energy. I took her away from my other two really fast. Googled antibiotic herbs, bought them an started on heavy doses for 2 weeks.
The others didn't get sick apart from a little bit of runny poop, and the hen recovered over 4 weeks.

I kept her away but where they could talk an see each other and extra couple of weeks. Gave them another dose of antibiotic herbs and they were fine after that.

Once the noisy one was old enough, I used their eggs.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

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Ha. Good one. They fixed it and it works now. Originally it threw a byc error. But, my fingers would never ever touch a link. That's just gross.

 

[StinkyAcres]

That sign is a great idea!

 

[2 chiks n a roo]

October 23 my neighbour had 4 hens, one had died even though I gave him the things to help her, but he was too lazy and didn't care. Anyway a week after that one died, he put the other 3 over the fence and asked if I could put them with my roo. I said yes, but because they didn't know each other, I made a house out of my dogs crate, a perch, got a large box for a nest which all 3 fit in nicely. Bought some wire netting and gave them a temporary home. 4 weeks went by and I still hadn't added them to mine.. one had severe vent gleet and although I got her well, she got it again. I generally keep their houses clean cos we have large river rats.
This one died of heat exhaustion 4 months later. She hadn't been feeling well and their carer didn't drag her out of their nesting box (cat carry box) to drink water. It was 32° an she was weak when I got home.
To this day (9mths) they had only gotten in with my own chickens a couple of times.

I hatch chicks through the incubator and when I sell them, none have been near the adults or even older chicks except my latest 2. Both had been in with their mumma, she's currently got pneumonia but nothing else.
Every time I go to feed, clean, handle my chickens, I wash my hands in between and scuff my boots in the grass to get rid of mud an poo. It's winter so the grass is always wet in the mornings and I have water tubs everywhere which I used to wash my hands. Damn freezing when its still ice..

Anyone who can't quarantine, improvise, metal dog crates, I've got 6 and only one dog gets hers, her brother gets a mattress, use a covered cat litter box with door (my current brooder) disposable puppy toilet training pads, tarpaulins, old kitchen cupboards stacked together to make individual cages by swapping out the door for wire, or use both. My 25 wk girls have one of my dog runs, crate and gate from the other one..

 

[FloridaChook]

I had a random White Leghorn vist my coop multiple days until she ended up calling it home. I've saw her in the area before she decided she had a new flock but I'm glad nothing has come up from it. first pic of our random hen Nickle