"No need to quarantine?" New chickens

[speckledhen]

Quote: Ha, amen to that, Tim! I'm with ya.

 

[sbhkma]

Well now my first concern would be with those dogs.

I'd do whatever I had to, to make sure he understood that if his dogs came to my place again they would NOT be coming home.

I have to agree here. Whether you quarantine or not (I sure would) it will do you no good if those dogs keep coming over to kill more birds. That needs to be addressed immediately in my opinion.

 

[speckledhen]

I have to agree here. Whether you quarantine or not (I sure would) it will do you no good if those dogs keep coming over to kill more birds. That needs to be addressed immediately in my opinion.

Absolutely.

 

[sbhkma]

Over the weekend, we had a neighbor's youngish (about 7 or 8 months) German Shepherd come over and try to get our birds. Luckily my husband was out and grabbed the shotgun to scare the dog off. The dog ran back to the neighbor's (about 1/2 mile away as the crow flies). My husband went to the neighbor's and explained what happened. The owner was outside doing yard work and never noticed the dog was gone. He was surprised the dog chased our hens, as he has chickens too. But his are in a coop and my hends are not "his" hens. My husband then explained very calmly that we love dogs, especially German Shepherds, but if the dog comes back over he will be shot, saying, "I don't WANT to shoot any dog, but I will if I have to". He also explained that all our surrounding "cattle country" neighbors will most likely shoot on sight, as they would be protecting their livestock. The neighbor was apologetic and understanding and I am quite confident this won't happen again. And the neighbor now fully understands the consequences.

 

[hartsockchicks]

Thanks rancher hick. You gave me a good laugh. That is how we feel. I am no expert on chicken raising and have tried to be nice to this neighbor. But really tired of his dogs in my yard. His dogs travel over a mile up and down our road, I've seen them on the run for hours. The worst part they knew there dogs where loose and running the neighborhood. They where also upset with us for calling the pound to come get them, (so they got a fine, we got to clean up dead chickens, and fix rabbit cages)

I have no plans to bring strange chickens to my chicken flock. Our plans are to try to hatch some from our own birds this spring.


Thanks again everyone for your response. It really helps to see that we are not the only ones that are concerned with keeping a healthy flock.


I want your help with one more thing. The neighbor that owns the dogs that killed our chickens who has a chicken farmer to bring us chicken to replace the chickens we lost. We have repeatedly said no.

But, He states the chickens are healthy and have been vaccinated and insisted they have had there Mareks vaccine?
Any thoughts to the new chicken raiser on this remark.

 

[sbhkma]

Follow your gut and continue to say no. Much better to play it safe than risk the survivors of your flock don't you think?

As for the dogs, it seems you have 3 choices.
1) keep calling animal control so the neighbors have to keep paying a fine
2) shoot the dogs
3) give in and realize you're providing entertainment to the neighbors dogs in the form of chicken chasing/killing

I get a feeling shooting them is not something you're really ok with, so I'd call animal control EVERY SINGLE TIME those dogs were out. Document times and dates too. And I'd not let my chickens out until the roaming dog issue is dealt with.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Vaccinated for what other than Marek's? There are numerous vaccinations (of which I use none). Some vaccines make the bird a carrier of the disease, like ILT. Marek's doesn't do that, but the Marek's vaccine doesn't prevent the disease, either. He may think they're healthy, and maybe they are, but then again, he can't know if they are Marek's carriers because the Marek's vaccine stops tumors from forming, the part that usually kills the bird, but it doesn't stop the actual disease from being picked up.

 

[DaveOmak]

He might give you sick chickens and put an end to your flock.... I would hope not..... but......

 

[shmccarthy]

Anytime I sell hens or cocks myself, I always, always tell the people to quarantine. NOT because I would sell a sick bird (I could not do that in good conscious) but because it may have something I don't know about, or the change of flora and fauna could cause it to get sick and infect other birds. Plus, it's a good opportunity for them to settle down to a new environment. I also don't guarantee if the birds will lay right away or not. I certainly tell them if the hen has or hasn't started, but again its good to explain that the stress from moving can cause her to stop laying, which happens very easily and can vary from bird to bird.
And it's the same the other way around. I have a specific coop for quarantine, and they stay there a minimum of 30 days, if they're healthy still by the end, they can go in with the big flock, if not I treat them for whatever they need, moniter more, then let them in once healthy. Its too much of a risk to not quarantine.
I would not trust what he says. To be honest, I would ask for a cash compensation from the neighbor whose dog attacked your chickens, and find some yourself that you know will be in decent shape, or something along those lines.

 

[coffeychicks]

If you don't feel comfortable taking his birds (which I understand) push for the money to replace the birds but what ever you choose ALWAYS QUARANTINE never take the risk of infecting you whole flock.