Poultry fostering

[furbabymum]

I live just across the border from Colorado and the horrid fires. I've volunteered us to take on all sorts of livestock as fosters. If I end up with poultry what do I do? Do I need to seperate them the entire time or can I try integration? We have a very large area for poultry and only have 12 chickens and 10 ducks. All 10 weeks and under. I suppose there are health concerns as well. Basically I need some info on how I can help or if I even should offer to foster poultry. We can take on livestock because we have fenced acerage so I have other foster options if poultry is out.

 

[FireTigeris]

If they are going home they will need to be seprate or banded so you can tell them apart, usually you should Quarantine but this is an emergency situation... I'm not sure what I would do-

If they are all banded and from NIPI people ... then maybe... but then you have random mating and fights from males... (Drakes, Roosters...)

Hummm... not sure at all...

They will need a safe place to go that is secure at night, (one that is also secure for m daytime predators is even better) food and water mimimum, you will need to know if they are used to free ranging or not... (if not they may be confused, if so they (flighted adult waterfowl) may try to go home if the run is not covered...

Everyone eats or kills poultry, feral and packed up pet dogs, wild cats and feral cats, raptors (hawks, owls), raccoon, fox, bear, reptiles (not likely there? alligator, snapper turtles, snakes), skunks, possum (not likely where you are), and stuff I forgot...

Will you be able to keep them safe?

 

[furbabymum]

If they are going home they will need to be seprate or banded so you can tell them apart, usually you should Quarantine but this is an emergency situation... I'm not sure what I would do-

If they are all banded and from NIPI people ... then maybe... but then you have random mating and fights from males... (Drakes, Roosters...)

Hummm... not sure at all...

They will need a safe place to go that is secure at night, (one that is also secure for m daytime predators is even better) food and water mimimum, you will need to know if they are used to free ranging or not... (if not they may be confused, if so they (flighted adult waterfowl) may try to go home if the run is not covered...

Everyone eats or kills poultry, feral and packed up pet dogs, wild cats and feral cats, raptors (hawks, owls), raccoon, fox, bear, reptiles (not likely there? alligator, snapper turtles, snakes), skunks, possum (not likely where you are), and stuff I forgot...

Will you be able to keep them safe?

I should be able to use the smaller coop and run to keep them safe and seperate if needed. Having them all together would have the benefit of a larger area and less work for me but I can keep them apart. I do not know that I would be able to keep them safe if they were free ranging. We've had a problem with feral cats. Our dogs have caught and killed 2 trying to get to our chickens in the last week.