Quarantine

[hitgsd]

I have 6 chicks I got from Tractor supply 4 days ago. I also have 6 hens I got from tractor supply as chicks 1 year ago. The chicks are in a brooder in the garage. The hens, well right now they are in the horse pasture (they free range all day). What kind of measures do I need to take to keep one set from possibly making the other set ill? I have been hand sanitizing before and after working with the chicks, and the hens are banned from the garage. Do I need to bleach my shoes when moving from one area, the yard, into the garage and visa versa? Are drastic steps necessary, or just common sense. I assume that by the time the chicks are ready to step up to a run and coop I will have seen any symptoms of illness and can let them see each other through the fence. Just call me paranoid.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I don't do anything special to quarantine when I have different age groups (I don't quarantine chicks from the feed store).

The one thing you might be concerned about is to prevent coccidiosis in the new chicks. And for this reason, it is good to keep chicks away from the older ones (also to prevent them from being killed by the hens!).

Cocci can travel on your hands and shoes, certainly. But having treated for coccidiosis more than once myself, I am comfortable with the level of risk that I endure. I just do my chicken chores as usual. I try to get my chicks out on pasture at three weeks with the heatlamp readily available in the hutch in their small pen, so all they have to do is go up the ramp for warmth.

From what I have read, bleach won't kill cocci. Ammonia does from what I have read (you can try searching BYC for this if you need to).

I keep my coccidiosis medication handy, so I can begin treatment immediately if needed.

If your older hens have a respiratory illness or history of one, I'd certainly do the baby chores first every day.

 

[mammat]

Quarentine for at least 4 weeks. Our Christmas chicks had ult and infected our flock....forever. read the quarentine thread