quarantine question

[mamadukes5]

I keep reading that when introducing new members to the flock, they should be kept quarantined. Does this apply to babies as well? I had 7 babies hatch last week and my dh is building another coop for them, but I was intending to let them in the same run as my bigger birds. I'm not importing new birds from anywhere, I hatched their eggs in an incubator, so wondered if the quarantine is still necessary. I know not to put the babies with the big birds becuase of the pecking, but just wanted to know about the health thing.

 

[TinyTotsSeramas]

Now when you said having the run with the bigger birds, you mean once their older right?
and no I wouldnt think you'd have to quarantine since they were hatched by you.. I've never given it much thought though. maybe someone can give you a better answer..

 

[mamadukes5]

yes, when they're older. I have them right now in a dog crate in my living room and they aren't even going outside for another couple of weeks. I have a fence down the middle of the run, so thought chicks on one side, big guys on the other, and they'll have their own house to sleep in. I just didnt know about all this quarantine stuff I'm reading. I understand chicken disease and parasites, but thought it was basically for birds that i get from someone else. just checking, a little paranoid about the babies, you know.

 

[elmo]

No, I think you're right. Quarantine is for birds brought in from elsewhere, especially older birds. I think you're even fine if you buy day old chicks from elsewhere, because by the time they're old enough to be integrated into the flock you've essentially quarantined them in the brooder, anyway.

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

I'm definitely no expert but I think anything that can be passed down from the egg to the chick would already be in your flock anyway. I would say you are safe (very safe). Good luck on your chicks, they are so very addicting

Trish

 

[mamadukes5]

addicting for sure. I didn't think the first batch of eggs would hatch because I thought the roo was too young, so while they were in the incubator, I thought not developing, I was storing up some newer eggs to hatch when those didnt work. They worked, oh, stupid me. So now I have 7 baby chicks in the dog crate until they are old enough to go out in their own coop and 10 more eggs in the incubator. I didn't know which ones were the oldest, so didn't want to eat them or throw them away, so now waiting to see if these hatch too. My husband thinks I'm crazy but a friend of mine just lost half of her flock to coyotes over the course of a couple of days, so she'll take the babies and they'll all be taken care of. And dh is building a second coop so the younger ones can be outside (out of my living room) in their own house, away from my bigger hens as soon as they're old enough.

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

I'm already on my third coop and running out of room, lol. I need an intervention. Somebody please stop me! O wait, almost everyone here needs one too

Enjoy!

Trish