Ordering Spring Chicks…Have Questions!

[BlueDawnRising]

Let's discuss a few things. First, quarantine.

I consider chicks shipped straight from a hatchery to be as safe from disease and parasites as you can get. The hatchery portion is separated from any place chickens live and they take biosecurity issues to heart so the chicks should be very safe. I do not worry about quarantine with these chicks.

However your 5-week-olds will face the risk of contracting a disease or parasite while being raised. I would expect the hatchery to take biosecurity issues seriously but the risk for a parasite or disease is present. I'd want to quarantine them.

Then you have integration. Chicks raised together generally get along. But sometimes chickens not used to each other do not accept each other. Often, if you have a lot of room, you can put strange chickens together without issues, but not always. I'd be prepared to separate them if necessary.


They will be the same age. It is possible you could put them together without any issues or they may brutalize each other. How do you feel about quarantine?


How many chicks? Can the broody hen cover them all, especially when they are a few weeks old? In warmer weather that may not be that necessary, often my chicks sleep next to the broody instead of under her in summer, but in cooler weather it could be important.

I don't know of any way to guarantee a hen would be broody when you brought them home. If one goes broody you can try to keep her broody by putting fake eggs under her but it may not work out.

Most broody hens will accept chicks but most does not mean all. If the number of chicks and the timing works out I'd try, but you get no guarantees.


It may work out well, it may not. Consider quarantine.


I do not quarantine day old chicks.


I would.

I am fine with quarantine. I need some guidance…how far apart? How long? I want to keep my existing flock healthy so I want to do it right. I currently only have one coop but we kept the current flock in my basement (well contained) until they were 8ish weeks so I can quarantine there if needed.

My coop is large, it is an old grain bin, but they only sleep and lay eggs in there. They have a fully enclosed 36x12x8 (at the tall side) run and free range when we are home. There is a dawn to dusk automatic door between the coop and the run so they can get out early and be out all day. I also have a 12x8 “hoop coop” that is mobile but I planned to use for the “see, don’t touch” part of integration.

I plan on adding 12 total, 3 each of 4 breeds. The broody would have the 6 day olds, if I have a broody at the time. I don’t know if that’s an acceptable amount for the broody. Will she accept the 5 week olds too? I figured they would be too old for her to mother but this is my first go so feel free to correct me!

I really appreciate your response!

 

[BlueDawnRising]

Chicks need two to three weeks isolated from your birds and their environment so that they develop the protection from the Mareks' vaccine. If you want them right out with your flock, don't bother vaccinating them. Unless you are POSITIVE that you don't have Mareks disease out there.
Mary

Is there a way to test? To know? I’ve had these chickens since last December. The 6 older ones came from Rural King so I don’t know if they were vaccinated but the 13 others were, I ordered them that way.

 

[redinator]

Thank you for responding! The chicks would be the same age…around 5 weeks. I would get the sexed breeds as day olds and order 5 week old pullets to be picked up 5 weeks later. Does that make sense? So at the 5 week mark, all 12 would be 5 weeks old but 6 would have been here for the growing period and 6 would have been at the hatchery. If the 6 I bring home as day olds don’t end up under a broody, I was wondering about putting the 6 new arrivals with them but I am learning I need to quarantine them first anyway so I’m not sure it is even an option to put them together at the 5 week mark. I have two brooders so I can separate them. I was hoping for 1.) convenience, and 2.) a larger group of newbies added to the existing flock. I thought that might make it more difficult to single out individuals.

I don't know much about the Marek's vaccine so, let's get that bit cleared up first.

We'll go with the response from @Folly's place and say any vaccinated chicks need to be separated for 2-3 weeks to build up an immunity. Quarantine is typically a 30 day period (one month/4 weeks) so quarantining would cover you for the Marek's as well.

In another response:

Chicks need two to three weeks isolated from your birds and their environment

This means quarantining them indoors for at least 3 weeks, then possibly moving them outside for the remainder of the 30 day quarantine period.

 

[redinator]

If you decide to vaccinate that takes the broodies out of the equation, from what I'm understanding, since the vaccinated chicks can't be around any flock members until the immunity takes full effect.

And from what I understand a broody is very unlikely to take chicks over a few days old.

 

[redinator]

Is there a way to test? To know? I’ve had these chickens since last December. The 6 older ones came from Rural King so I don’t know if they were vaccinated but the 13 others were, I ordered them that way.

I found this: https://thesilkielab.com/product/mareks-disease-pcr-test/

A positive result could mean the bird:

• Is currently infected with the Marek’s virus (active or latent),
• Was previously infected and still carries viral DNA,
• Has been vaccinated (especially if using a live virus vaccine, like HVT or CVI988/Rispens).

I haven't used it myself though, others may have tried and tested options to offer.

 

[rosemarythyme]

1. It depends on their ages at the time you try to put them together. The younger they are the less likely you need to have an introductory period.

2. I've never had a broody lined up timing wise as chicks so I can't answer that. Yes started pullets (or even chicks not raised by a broody) will be harder to integrate in, as you need to manage it (instead of a mama hen watching over her brood).

3. So quarantine... assuming the newly hatched chicks are from a reputable hatchery and not a random backyard operation I personally do NOT quarantine chicks vaccinated for Marek's. All my birds are vaccinated for Marek's (as that's standard procedure in feed stores in my area) so I go with the assumption that it's not an issue in my flock. I favor a faster integration and brooding outdoors even if that means negating the vaccine.

If you are worried about Marek's then you'd need to practice proper biological quarantine which would include the chicks being brooded away from the rest of the flock, changing of clothing, no sharing of any resources between the flocks, etc.

4. Yes started pullets should be quarantined. But again depending on how reputable you find the hatchery to be, you may be able to skip it if you feel they're strict enough with managing biological hazards for your liking. The only time I added started pullets I skipped quarantine and put them right in with the other pullets of the same age, as they were young enough to integrate without a see-but-no-touch period and I did not have any adult birds at the time and all the birds came from the same feed store.

 

[Folly's place]

Last time i looked, our MSU veterinary lab had no 'live bird' test for Marek's disease, so only necropsy results were available. Not useful without a sick/ dying bird!
We do our best with biosecurity, buy vaccinated chicks, and our home bred unvaccinated birds haven't had Marek's type issues, so I'm reasonably confident that Marek's hasn't been an issue here (so far!).
I haven't ever had a broody hen at the right time for shipped chicks either!
Mary

 

[BlueDawnRising]

1. It depends on their ages at the time you try to put them together. The younger they are the less likely you need to have an introductory period.

2. I've never had a broody lined up timing wise as chicks so I can't answer that. Yes started pullets (or even chicks not raised by a broody) will be harder to integrate in, as you need to manage it (instead of a mama hen watching over her brood).

3. So quarantine... assuming the newly hatched chicks are from a reputable hatchery and not a random backyard operation I personally do NOT quarantine chicks vaccinated for Marek's. All my birds are vaccinated for Marek's (as that's standard procedure in feed stores in my area) so I go with the assumption that it's not an issue in my flock. I favor a faster integration and brooding outdoors even if that means negating the vaccine.

If you are worried about Marek's then you'd need to practice proper biological quarantine which would include the chicks being brooded away from the rest of the flock, changing of clothing, no sharing of any resources between the flocks, etc.

4. Yes started pullets should be quarantined. But again depending on how reputable you find the hatchery to be, you may be able to skip it if you feel they're strict enough with managing biological hazards for your liking. The only time I added started pullets I skipped quarantine and put them right in with the other pullets of the same age, as they were young enough to integrate without a see-but-no-touch period and I did not have any adult birds at the time and all the birds came from the same feed store.

https://chickenscratchpoultry.com

This is where I am considering ordering from.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I am fine with quarantine. I need some guidance…how far apart? How long?

Some parasites and diseases are shared by sharing the ground or sharing feed and water. Some are spread by vectors like mosquitoes, wild birds, grasshoppers, or grubs. Some are spread by the wind. You can spread some by using the same buckets to carry food or water to them or by wearing the same clothes when you feed them, especially shoes. The better you can isolate them the better the quarantine. Even a poor isolation will give you protection against some things. A perfect isolation is really challenging to achieve.

I plan on adding 12 total, 3 each of 4 breeds. The broody would have the 6 day olds, if I have a broody at the time. I don’t know if that’s an acceptable amount for the broody.

Most hens are OK with 12 chicks that hatch from the size eggs the hen normally lays. A tiny bantam hen might have troubles with 6 large fowl sized chicks. With your breeds I do not see a problem.

Will she accept the 5 week olds too?

Not likely. Highly unlikely.