New Chickens broke out of quarantine....do I bother putting them back

[Haunted Chicken]

I brought two new girls home yesterday and put them in my temporary run. They were supposed to be in there for a few weeks but managed to break out while I was gone. (I've never had a hen get out of it before) I found all the hens mixed together, foraging and happy as could be. I know the breeder I purchased them from just got over a "cold" issue with some of her other birds so this quarantine was very important. In fact I waited a few weeks to get them because of it. (These hens were never sick, it was some new chicks she brought in. But they were on the same property) They're all hiding under bushes where I can't separate them. Do I still gather them up tonight and put them back in the fixed run. Or is it a lost cause after a day hanging out together? All this waiting to pick them up and then separating them and then this happens

I hate to separate them if it's too late any way, since they are getting along so well. It may not be so easy next time. But I don't want to rick sickness in my flock if I can help it.

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

I was a people nurse not avian but I think the same basic rules apply. If they have been together all that time they have already been exposed to what ever the new chickens were exposed to if in fact they had been exposed to anything. Find out exactly what the previous owners chicks had so you can be prepared if they were. Just because the chicks were on the same property doesn't mean the older chickens were exposed to it depending on where she kept the chicks and weather it was in close approximatey to the rest of her chickens.

 

[Haunted Chicken]

Quote:
I was afraid of that. The damage is done, if any one was sick. The breeder was great, she wrote down the meds prescribed by her vet for her birds and told me the symptoms to look for. Thanks for the reply. I guess I'll just keep them together. And here I thought it would take weeks to get them used to each other.

I'll just have to hope for the best at this point.

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

What did the chicks have anyway. Just curious.

 

[welasharon]

Well at least you don't have to deal with integration issues! I had this happen last week as well.

 

[Haunted Chicken]

Quote:
I just re-looked at her notes and I guess she didn't say the actual name, just the symptoms (lethargic and drainage when sneezing) and the medication (Duramycin and Neomycin). I know she told me while I was there but I can't remember. Some sort of respiratory problem that only lasted a couple days from what I understand.

 

[Haunted Chicken]

Quote:
I can't tell you what a relief it has been to not have fighting. We had one pullet that constantly attacked her siblings eyes. Very aggressive. We had to re-home her for fear of our other pullets being blinded. I was so afraid of another bad experience. But everything went very well tonight when I added them to the coop. I put them on the opposite side of the roost. They immediately walked over to my girls and cuddled up next to them. Mine just looked at them like "hurry and settle in, we're tired". Lets hope the morning goes as well.