Quarantine Advice

[MartyHikes]

Hey folks, short time lurker, first time poster here. My wife and I got our first batch of pullets last fall. There are four of them, and they’re about 17 weeks old now. So far, so good; everyone is healthy. We’ll call them group A. In the last week, we got a group of four hens who are about a year old (group B), and a “barnyard accident” rooster and hen (group C) from a breeder who didn’t want them accidentally breeding with the pure bred chickens. Well, as an unfortunate result of our inexperience, the two new groups (B and C) have mingled in with group A well before their quarantine was supposed to end. Everyone seems healthy after a couple days, with the exception of the stress of re-establishing the pecking order. Basically I guess I’m asking if this is a hopeless situation and all of my chickens are going to get sick and die spontaneously down the road, or if there’s a chance that we could get lucky and they all end up doing okay?

 

[Mrs. K]

Quarantine is nearly impossible to do in a small flocks. And to do it right, well you can't cheat, if you cheat, you may as well not do it at all. There is a real possibility of things being a disaster.

With that being said, I have added chickens multiple times without quarantine, however, I never bring in anything I feel sorry for, I do not buy my birds at auctions or swaps, who, God alone knows what they have been exposed too.

I get birds from other people like me that keep a smaller flock. To me, healthy looks healthy, if they have been getting along healthy where you got them from, well then, that is kind of like a quarantine.

The real problem, is some birds are carriers, and so they can give another group of birds a disease, while looking just fine.

But no, I think you probably got a bye, and more than likely they are all just going to be fine.

Mrs K

 

[Yardmom]

If the birds were all healthy, then all should be fine. If they look healthy now chances are pretty good that all will stay healthy.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If they look healthy, odds are you'll be fine, but I mean really look healthy. Glossy feathers, clear eyes, no ragged breaths.

If you get a gut feeling a bird isn't healthy, I would do everything possible to not let it mingle.

In my experience, you'll know rather soon if something got transmitted

 

[Ridgerunner]

Basically I guess I’m asking if this is a hopeless situation and all of my chickens are going to get sick and die spontaneously down the road, or if there’s a chance that we could get lucky and they all end up doing okay?

Hi, welcome to the forum, glad you joined.

Is it possible you have a problem? Yes, anything is possible. Is it likely you have a problem, not really. People do a whole lot worse than you have and usually are OK. Worry is interest paid before it is due so quit worrying.

Quarantine is a powerful tool when done right for the right circumstances. Chickens can catch diseases form other chickens. But these diseases take time to show themselves so you quarantine them for a while after they have been exposed to other chickens. If that breeder has not been moving new chickens into his flock or taking his chickens somewhere like a show where they have been exposed to new chickens they have been in quarantine at their place, just not yours.

The big danger comes in when you get your chickens at a swap or auction. To me that's when you really need a quarantine. Even then a lot of people take their chickens to these events and bring chickens home regularly or swaps and auctions would not happen. Many of those people do not quarantine. Sometimes they do get serious problems but most of the time they don't. If you were guaranteed serious problems those events would not exist. The most common problems from swaps and auctions are probably mites, lice, or worms, maybe Coccidiosis, and you can treat for those.

Some flocks develop flock immunity to something. That could be your flock, it could be the breeder's flock. Coccidiosis is a good example but there are others. Since they have developed immunity to it no matter how long you quarantine them they are not likely to show symptoms. Quarantine doesn't help a lot with this. If the new chickens get sick and your old ones don't your existing flock probably infected them. If your flock gets sick and the new ones don't they infected yours. So you do need to pay attention to all of them and treat if necessary. But think about this. If either your flock or the new flock are sick, they are not dead. There is a really good chance the ones that get sick won't die either, especially if you treat them.

You do not get guarantees with this. Anytime you bring in new chickens you have a chance of bringing in something, whether you quarantine or not. Sometimes that can be serious. But your question is whether you are in a hopeless situation. Not even close. The odds are really good absolutely nothing bad will happen.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
Everyone already gave good advice. You have to decide where you will stand in the future regarding risk avoidance. Hopefully this time everything will be well, but that won't always be true.
We've been very careful, and also lucky, and haven't brought anything bad into our flock. Starting out, we weren't as paranoid, but lucky. Now, we are very careful, also have no near neighbors who bring in 'random source' birds, and have a healthy flock.
Never do we bring in outside birds, except chicks from very good hatcheries. Our barn boots and shoes never go elsewhere, and once birds leave, they never return.
Biosecurity matters!
Mary