new birds

[fil76]

when buying new chickens to add to your flock how long do people quarantine
birds for before putting in a pen in the coop/shed
cheers fil

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Quarantine is from the 17th century Italian term 'quarantina' meaning 40 days when disease required travelers by ship needed to wait 40 days to come to shore.
That number is a good guideline especially if bringing in new birds to an existing flock.
The general guideline is as long as possible and as far from your flock as possible.
This is also a good time to check the birds for internal and external parasites.
Near the end of my quarantine period, I usually select a sacrificial bird to put into an adjacent space in case the new birds don't exhibit symptoms but can still infect my birds with something they haven't been exposed to.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Here’s a good article on quarantining chickens: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...nderestimated-part-of-raising-chickens.67097/

 

[fil76]

if every thing goes to plan in quarantine how long should I leave them in a pen inside the shed for to get used to one another
cheers fil

 

[TheChickieMama]

Quarantine is from the 17th century Italian term 'quarantina' meaning 40 days when disease required travelers by ship needed to wait 40 days to come to shore.
That number is a good guideline especially if bringing in new birds to an existing flock.
The general guideline is as long as possible and as far from your flock as possible.
This is also a good time to check the birds for internal and external parasites.
Near the end of my quarantine period, I usually select a sacrificial bird to put into an adjacent space in case the new birds don't exhibit symptoms but can still infect my birds with something they haven't been exposed to.

Have you ever lost any birds when "sacrificing" them?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

No I haven't. The new birds had already been in quarantine about 3 weeks and had shown no signs of illness. It was just an extra precaution in the remote chance one group or the other was a carrier but resistant.

 

[fil76]

do you have to get birds that look similar/same colour to make introduction easier
cheers phil

 

[ChickenCanoe]

do you have to get birds that look similar/same colour to make introduction easier
cheers phil

Not necessary. While it is true that birds of a feather flock together, chickens will usually all get along eventually.