NY chicken lover!!!!

[vmdanielsen]

As some of you may remember me mentioning a when I joined this site, I am originally from CT. Came from a small town that I grew up in my whole life. Never thought I would ever leave. We moved to Albany 4 years ago and then last year from Albany to Syracuse. This is my first time ever living in a country setting and I love it and never want to leave it. We have horses and pigs across the street, we started with chickens last spring, then added some rabbits. Well now all my friends back home in CT constantly joke with me asking when I'm going to add goats and micro pigs and maybe even a horse. I always say Oh they're on their way! Don't you worry! One of my friends posted this to my FB wall the other day and I couldn't help but laugh because this is really what I'm turning into...My last trip to CT was supposed to be 5 days long and I cut it short by 2 days to get back up here and tend to all the animals because I didn't think my husband would keep up with it all while I was gone.

Isn't it true???? After working full time, riding my horses, doing chores, who has time for anything else? A weekend away is my summer vacation. Husband stays home. His the same, I stay home. but you know, I wouldn't trade it for anything!!

 

[Lynzi777]

Isn't it true???? After working full time, riding my horses, doing chores, who has time for anything else? A weekend away is my summer vacation. Husband stays home. His the same, I stay home. but you know, I wouldn't trade it for anything!!

Me neither!!! With the restaurant my husband works for opening up new locations, the last being in CT, they always ask "Does this mean you're moving back home?!?" And I just say No way!!! If he goes I'm staying! I love it wayyy too much up here and I never want to go back.

 

[rancher hicks]

Morning folks,

Something has come to my attention that I think needs addressing. In my years of having chickens I have read far more than I probably should have, but plenty to be sure. Please if you are new to chickens keep an open mind that there are many and differing opinions of how to house and feed and in general keep chickens.

Clearly a waterer that works in Florida, made from a used toilet tank is not the best design for the north east.

On the other hand, warnings of introducing new birds to your flock should be considered. I recently read of a person who did not quarantine three hens she housed for a friend and lost her entire flock.

That said, I'll get to the point. There is nothing wrong nor dangerous in introducing new birds to an established flock if that bird or birds has been properly quarantined and deemed healthy. To be sure "where" and "who" you acquire the bird from is very important.

DO NOT assume because you are hatching purchased eggs from away or chicks from different people that that will guaranteee there will be no problems. Even buying from so called "breeders" of good reputation might present a problem, as I found out this past year.


Which brings me to another point. Try to know the person you are acquireing birds from. Of course genetics plays a role and it won't guarantee there will be no problems, but you can reduce your chances by knowing the person and their reputation. Do they practice Biosecurity? Do they keep a closed flock?

Each of my coops has birds that were introduced after they were grown.

My marans coop has a Sussex who is a very good layer. The marans purchased as chicks from an on line auction from NC, the Sussex as a grown hen here.

My BR's were purchased from MO as chicks and the two SLW's gifts from a friend as adults.

My Orpingtons as chicks in PA and my CR's hatched as egg from GA the RIR hatched from eggs from AL and the EE's hatched from eggs gotten from a local friend.

My Dels as chicks hatched from eggs from GA and my own, others purchased as chicks from a breeder in MO. My first five grown Dels purchased in NY (they were hard to find) were kept in poor conditions and smelled so bad I drove home with the windows on the car open and promptly quarantined them. I was new to chickens at the time.

Back to the person who lost her entire flock. This is what she was told by her vet.

"He indicated that the Cinnamon Queens were likely carriers of the disease and that the stress of the move caused the disease to become active."

This is why you quarantine. A perfectly healthy bird can become sick simply from the stress of a move. The Cinnamon Queens were purchased from someone on Craigslist. Did they know the person? I don't know. Also it's worth mentioning that Cinnamon Queens are a hybrid and they are known to be more susceptible to diseases. At least that's what I've read, in Practical Poultry magazine.

Quarantine does not mean keeping them in separate cages, coops or pens. It means keeping them AWAY from you established flock in separate areas of your home. It can be in a garage or barn or coop where your other birds can not get near them. As far away as possible. Where they don't share the same air space preferably.

Condensed what I'm saying is, if you practice good steward ship of your flock you will have fewer problems. If you use caution in acquireing your eggs, chicks and chickens you can keep those problems to a minimum.


Never make assumptions. Problems may arise but such is life, I always say.

Oh and one last thing. If you do have problems don't be afraid to notify the person who you acquired your birds from. If they get upset and defensive, don't do business with them again. A good steward will want to know.

I wish you well,

Rancher

 

[rancher hicks]

Love the coloring on this one! Think I'm going to invest in some of these this spring....

By the way, the frizzle is NOT mine. I copied it off the internet. I only have two frizzles. Frenchy and Buckwheat her daughter.

 

[Lynzi777]

By the way, the frizzle is NOT mine. I copied it off the internet. I only have two frizzles. Frenchy and Buckwheat her daughter.

Ohhhh...Definitely thought it was. LOL Well it's a nice looking bird anyway.

 

[JayinCohoes]

Morning folks,

Something has come to my attention that I think needs addressing. In my years of having chickens I have read far more than I probably should have, but plenty to be sure. Please if you are new to chickens keep an open mind that there are many and differing opinions of how to house and feed and in general keep chickens.

Clearly a waterer that works in Florida, made from a used toilet tank is not the best design for the north east.

On the other hand, warnings of introducing new birds to your flock should be considered. I recently read of a person who did not quarantine three hens she housed for a friend and lost her entire flock.

That said, I'll get to the point. There is nothing wrong nor dangerous in introducing new birds to an established flock if that bird or birds has been properly quarantined and deemed healthy. To be sure "where" and "who" you acquire the bird from is very important.

DO NOT assume because you are hatching purchased eggs from away or chicks from different people that that will guaranteee there will be no problems. Even buying from so called "breeders" of good reputation might present a problem, as I found out this past year.


Which brings me to another point. Try to know the person you are acquireing birds from. Of course genetics plays a role and it won't guarantee there will be no problems, but you can reduce your chances by knowing the person and their reputation. Do they practice Biosecurity? Do they keep a closed flock?

Each of my coops has birds that were introduced after they were grown.

My marans coop has a Sussex who is a very good layer. The marans purchased as chicks from an on line auction from NC, the Sussex as a grown hen here.

My BR's were purchased from MO as chicks and the two SLW's gifts from a friend as adults.

My Orpingtons as chicks in PA and my CR's hatched as egg from GA the RIR hatched from eggs from AL and the EE's hatched from eggs gotten from a local friend.

My Dels as chicks hatched from eggs from GA and my own, others purchased as chicks from a breeder in MO. My first five grown Dels purchased in NY (they were hard to find) were kept in poor conditions and smelled so bad I drove home with the windows on the car open and promptly quarantined them. I was new to chickens at the time.

Back to the person who lost her entire flock. This is what she was told by her vet.

"He indicated that the Cinnamon Queens were likely carriers of the disease and that the stress of the move caused the disease to become active."

This is why you quarantine. A perfectly healthy bird can become sick simply from the stress of a move. The Cinnamon Queens were purchased from someone on Craigslist. Did they know the person? I don't know. Also it's worth mentioning that Cinnamon Queens are a hybrid and they are known to be more susceptible to diseases. At least that's what I've read, in Practical Poultry magazine.

Quarantine does not mean keeping them in separate cages, coops or pens. It means keeping them AWAY from you established flock in separate areas of your home. It can be in a garage or barn or coop where your other birds can not get near them. As far away as possible. Where they don't share the same air space preferably.

Condensed what I'm saying is, if you practice good steward ship of your flock you will have fewer problems. If you use caution in acquireing your eggs, chicks and chickens you can keep those problems to a minimum.


Never make assumptions. Problems may arise but such is life, I always say.

Oh and one last thing. If you do have problems don't be afraid to notify the person who you acquired your birds from. If they get upset and defensive, don't do business with them again. A good steward will want to know.

I wish you well,

Rancher

Rancher,

What a great post. It's always good to refresh safe farming practices. We all get lazy sometimes and want to cut corners but it's good to see what could happen if we do. My first instinct would be to get the new chickens established into their new home as soon as possible but that would be a huge mistake if one of them had a communicable disease. I have a reef aquarium and this is the same problem with adding creatures to an established tank. It's no fun to quarantine but we have to keep thinking about the big picture. Thanks for the post.

Jay

 

[Tough Old Bird]

Morning folks,

Something has come to my attention that I think needs addressing. In my years of having chickens I have read far more than I probably should have, but plenty to be sure. Please if you are new to chickens keep an open mind that there are many and differing opinions of how to house and feed and in general keep chickens.

Clearly a waterer that works in Florida, made from a used toilet tank is not the best design for the north east.

On the other hand, warnings of introducing new birds to your flock should be considered. I recently read of a person who did not quarantine three hens she housed for a friend and lost her entire flock.

That said, I'll get to the point. There is nothing wrong nor dangerous in introducing new birds to an established flock if that bird or birds has been properly quarantined and deemed healthy. To be sure "where" and "who" you acquire the bird from is very important.

DO NOT assume because you are hatching purchased eggs from away or chicks from different people that that will guaranteee there will be no problems. Even buying from so called "breeders" of good reputation might present a problem, as I found out this past year.


Which brings me to another point. Try to know the person you are acquireing birds from. Of course genetics plays a role and it won't guarantee there will be no problems, but you can reduce your chances by knowing the person and their reputation. Do they practice Biosecurity? Do they keep a closed flock?

Each of my coops has birds that were introduced after they were grown.

My marans coop has a Sussex who is a very good layer. The marans purchased as chicks from an on line auction from NC, the Sussex as a grown hen here.

My BR's were purchased from MO as chicks and the two SLW's gifts from a friend as adults.

My Orpingtons as chicks in PA and my CR's hatched as egg from GA the RIR hatched from eggs from AL and the EE's hatched from eggs gotten from a local friend.

My Dels as chicks hatched from eggs from GA and my own, others purchased as chicks from a breeder in MO. My first five grown Dels purchased in NY (they were hard to find) were kept in poor conditions and smelled so bad I drove home with the windows on the car open and promptly quarantined them. I was new to chickens at the time.

Back to the person who lost her entire flock. This is what she was told by her vet.

"He indicated that the Cinnamon Queens were likely carriers of the disease and that the stress of the move caused the disease to become active."

This is why you quarantine. A perfectly healthy bird can become sick simply from the stress of a move. The Cinnamon Queens were purchased from someone on Craigslist. Did they know the person? I don't know. Also it's worth mentioning that Cinnamon Queens are a hybrid and they are known to be more susceptible to diseases. At least that's what I've read, in Practical Poultry magazine.

Quarantine does not mean keeping them in separate cages, coops or pens. It means keeping them AWAY from you established flock in separate areas of your home. It can be in a garage or barn or coop where your other birds can not get near them. As far away as possible. Where they don't share the same air space preferably.

Condensed what I'm saying is, if you practice good steward ship of your flock you will have fewer problems. If you use caution in acquireing your eggs, chicks and chickens you can keep those problems to a minimum.


Never make assumptions. Problems may arise but such is life, I always say.

Oh and one last thing. If you do have problems don't be afraid to notify the person who you acquired your birds from. If they get upset and defensive, don't do business with them again. A good steward will want to know.

I wish you well,

Rancher

Morning folks,

Something has come to my attention that I think needs addressing. In my years of having chickens I have read far more than I probably should have, but plenty to be sure. Please if you are new to chickens keep an open mind that there are many and differing opinions of how to house and feed and in general keep chickens.

Clearly a waterer that works in Florida, made from a used toilet tank is not the best design for the north east.

On the other hand, warnings of introducing new birds to your flock should be considered. I recently read of a person who did not quarantine three hens she housed for a friend and lost her entire flock.

That said, I'll get to the point. There is nothing wrong nor dangerous in introducing new birds to an established flock if that bird or birds has been properly quarantined and deemed healthy. To be sure "where" and "who" you acquire the bird from is very important.

DO NOT assume because you are hatching purchased eggs from away or chicks from different people that that will guaranteee there will be no problems. Even buying from so called "breeders" of good reputation might present a problem, as I found out this past year.


Which brings me to another point. Try to know the person you are acquireing birds from. Of course genetics plays a role and it won't guarantee there will be no problems, but you can reduce your chances by knowing the person and their reputation. Do they practice Biosecurity? Do they keep a closed flock?

Each of my coops has birds that were introduced after they were grown.

My marans coop has a Sussex who is a very good layer. The marans purchased as chicks from an on line auction from NC, the Sussex as a grown hen here.

My BR's were purchased from MO as chicks and the two SLW's gifts from a friend as adults.

My Orpingtons as chicks in PA and my CR's hatched as egg from GA the RIR hatched from eggs from AL and the EE's hatched from eggs gotten from a local friend.

My Dels as chicks hatched from eggs from GA and my own, others purchased as chicks from a breeder in MO. My first five grown Dels purchased in NY (they were hard to find) were kept in poor conditions and smelled so bad I drove home with the windows on the car open and promptly quarantined them. I was new to chickens at the time.

Back to the person who lost her entire flock. This is what she was told by her vet.

"He indicated that the Cinnamon Queens were likely carriers of the disease and that the stress of the move caused the disease to become active."

This is why you quarantine. A perfectly healthy bird can become sick simply from the stress of a move. The Cinnamon Queens were purchased from someone on Craigslist. Did they know the person? I don't know. Also it's worth mentioning that Cinnamon Queens are a hybrid and they are known to be more susceptible to diseases. At least that's what I've read, in Practical Poultry magazine.

Quarantine does not mean keeping them in separate cages, coops or pens. It means keeping them AWAY from you established flock in separate areas of your home. It can be in a garage or barn or coop where your other birds can not get near them. As far away as possible. Where they don't share the same air space preferably.

Condensed what I'm saying is, if you practice good steward ship of your flock you will have fewer problems. If you use caution in acquireing your eggs, chicks and chickens you can keep those problems to a minimum.


Never make assumptions. Problems may arise but such is life, I always say.

Oh and one last thing. If you do have problems don't be afraid to notify the person who you acquired your birds from. If they get upset and defensive, don't do business with them again. A good steward will want to know.

I wish you well,

Rancher

Thanks for the great info, Rancher. It definitely is a bit scary to consider these types of things when getting a flock established, or, I imagine, when you add to your existing flock.

TOB

 

[Lynzi777]

I was finally able to let the birds out to free range today.here are some updated pics of the silkies and the chicks...

 

[uphilljill]

Bet everyone's chickens are enjoying this unseasonably warm spell, like mine are. Don't have the heart to tell them it won't last.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Rancher--a good reminder to all. I just got 2 new silkie hens today from a breeder in pa. She has real nice birds and these two girls are definately gorgeous. However, they were immediately placed in a large dog cage in the cellar where they will remain for a month or more until deemed healthy and free of anything that might be passed on. I always wash my hands and change before going out to the other coops just to be sure that nothing travels with me to my other chickens. Even with hatching my own chicks, I practice the same biosecurity. Its always better to err on the side of safety. I am sure you are thrilled to hear of my new silkies!!

So, after fiddling with the pump a bit and getting the neighbors help, I got it running a few times and am all set for the heavy rains. I am also praying to God not to send all the rain at once as its just me taking care of the property. My dh called from ga and said they were getting tornados going through but everyone was okay. Same for my dd who is in college down there. All this weird weather. My cheeps are happy about the warmth right now but wont be when its gone.

Lynzi--love the pics! Mine wanted out so badly and begged but I was busy with getting ready for the storm and the new girls that came.

Be safe tonight everyone. Wind is supposed to be bad as well.