Quarantine experience

[CC_PA_QC]

Hi all!

I'm currently quarantining two new additions to our (very) small flock. My husband thinks I'm silly for doing it.

I'm so new to all this, I don't quite know what I'm looking for. I mostly want to avoid anything that would be deathly for either party, if that makes sense.

Could you share some of your quarantine experience with me? That would help my little scientist mind to have so hard data!

On long do you usually quarantine?
Did you ever detect symptoms on your new hens?
And if so, how long into the quarantine were you?
Does anyone ever really detect something new, say 21 days into a quarantine?


My husband thinks that because the new hens are already laying, that's a sign they are healthy.
Of course, they could carry something without showing any symptoms, but I guess I'll only know that once I put them all together.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rammy]

Chickens can carry diseases and not be detected. I think your quarantining them is a very responsible and smart idea. Sometimes just throwing a new chicken in with others with an established pecking order can trigger hidden problem, or create them.
Now, on the quaratine....are you taking care of them last? Are you changing clothes and shoes before taking care of the other chickens if you take care of the new ones first? Are you disinfecting your clothes and shoes in between?
Its important to remember that keeping them separate from the others and not taking precautions to keep from carrying a possible pathogen into your main coop could be devestating to your flock. Until the new hens are out of quaratine, which is normally 30 days, you should make sure to disinfect your shoes and change clothes between care of each flock.

 

[Eggcessive]

We see a lot of threads here where someone has brought in birds from another owner, and the whole flock gets exposed to a disease that makes carriers of the whole flock for life. While you cannot be completely sure the new ones do not have a disease, you can take that month of quarantine and watch for watery/bubbly eyes, sneezing more than an occasional one that might occur with eating, check for parasites such as mites or lice before they affect your others, and worming might be something that you would want to do as well. Chickens may be carriers of something, and that disease may not cause symptoms until there is a period of stress, such as molting, or extreme weather. Good luck with your flock.

 

[CC_PA_QC]

Thanks everyone for the advice!

I really appreciate the extra details about how to quarantine. While I'm sure we're not doing it perfectly, we're really trying our best!

I'm looking more at the personal experiences of people who quarantined and what symptoms they saw at what time. I know it can vary a lot, but I'm looking at actual experience rather than the generic *30 days to be on the safe side*. I looked at the scientific literature on the subject, but there isn't really anything that's been researched about it.

TIA!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Personally, (yes I know this could end poorly one day, but I'm risking it) I only quarantine birds I get from strangers. I have two friends that I know have healthy flocks and I see their birds constantly so I know they're healthy. I don't quarantine birds I get from them because I don't see the point.

 

[alknoll]

Personally, (yes I know this could end poorly one day, but I'm risking it) I only quarantine birds I get from strangers. I have two friends that I know have healthy flocks and I see their birds constantly so I know they're healthy. I don't quarantine birds I get from them because I don't see the point.

Thank you for saying this. I picked up my bantams yesterday (as you know from a different thread) and ended up getting 3 instead of 2, so my quarantine setup is a little more cramped than I was expecting, and I think it is stressing them out. I got these birds from someone local and both her and her husband are vets. So I feel fairly confident they aren’t disease carrying. I might introduce them to my flock earlier than planned.

@CC_PA_QC How is your quarantine going? It’s been a week or two now, right?

 

[CC_PA_QC]

Thank you for saying this. I picked up my bantams yesterday (as you know from a different thread) and ended up getting 3 instead of 2, so my quarantine setup is a little more cramped than I was expecting, and I think it is stressing them out. I got these birds from someone local and both her and her husband are vets. So I feel fairly confident they aren’t disease carrying. I might introduce them to my flock earlier than planned.

@CC_PA_QC How is your quarantine going? It’s been a week or two now, right?

Quarantine is over, my hens are all happy and healthy together, and laying like crazy! And my husband is happy because we finally put the rooster in the freezer!

 

[alknoll]

Quarantine is over, my hens are all happy and healthy together, and laying like crazy! And my husband is happy because we finally put the rooster in the freezer!

What kind of rooster? I commend you, I would like to be able to grow my own meat chickens but not sure I have the heart for it! However I do come from a hunting family so there may be hope lol

 

[CC_PA_QC]

What kind of rooster? I commend you, I would like to be able to grow my own meat chickens but not sure I have the heart for it! However I do come from a hunting family so there may be hope lol

We got a straight run of Barred Rocks in the spring, thinking we'd get roughly half n' half roosters and hen. What do you know, we got 9 roos and 1 hen! It was always our goal to eat the roos, so it just meant more meat and fewer eggs!

We culled most of them between 12 and 15 weeks, and the ones we've had so far were all delicious! I thought the kids would be a little traumatized by the killing, but they actually found the process quite interested and gained a newer respect for the meat they eat!

 

[alknoll]

We got a straight run of Barred Rocks in the spring, thinking we'd get roughly half n' half roosters and hen. What do you know, we got 9 roos and 1 hen! It was always our goal to eat the roos, so it just meant more meat and fewer eggs!

We culled most of them between 12 and 15 weeks, and the ones we've had so far were all delicious! I thought the kids would be a little traumatized by the killing, but they actually found the process quite interested and gained a newer respect for the meat they eat!

Wow, what a cool experience. Respect for the meat we eat is so important! I didn’t know Barred Rocks were good for meat, learn something new every day on here!