Newbie questions

[Clwalls83]

1. We have a neighbor who free ranges their chickens. Will that be a problem if we do a caged chicken run?
2. We are being given a chicken coop for free from a family member. Is there any cleaning precautions that we should take since we dont know anything about the chickens that were in it before?
3. Is there any vaccines that we need to make sure our chickens get?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined!

1. We have a neighbor who free ranges their chickens. Will that be a problem if we do a caged chicken run?

Probably not. If they are diseased or have parasites then your chickens could get them. If your chickens have diseases or parasites then the other chickens could get them. But you get many of the same risks from the wild birds so I don't consider it that big of a risk.

2. We are being given a chicken coop for free from a family member. Is there any cleaning precautions that we should take since we dont know anything about the chickens that were in it before?

If the coop has been empty for a couple of years I would not worry about it. Any remnants of anything bad should be long gone. If it has been used recently spray it down with a disinfectant and then air it out well. I'd use a weak bleach-water mix myself but other disinfectants would work.

3. Is there any vaccines that we need to make sure our chickens get?

This could be a very long response. We all have different opinions on vaccinations. Before I got my first chickens I called the county extension office who connected me to a university professor in animal sciences that was on the county team that investigated local chicken disease outbreaks. After chatting with him I decided to not get any vaccinations. The common diseases vaccinated against just were not that prevalent in my area.

It is a personal decision, you can get all kinds of opinions on here. If something is prevalent in your area then getting a vaccination might be worthwhile.

Good luck and once again