Quarantining new birds that come from the same NPIP etc breeder

[Mother of Chaos]

Hi everyone-

I have three pullets from a local breeder, picked up this past March 7. She practices very tight biosecurity and is NPIP certified (also state certified as AI-free.) Meanwhile, no one who has visited our home has had any contact with chickens other than in the meat department in the grocery store.

The current girls are 22 1/2 weeks and laying. I am picking up two more from the same breeder, no changes in her farm management, on July 22.

Several months(?) ago, I mentioned my plans here on BYC, and one of the experienced and respected members here mentioned that although I'd still have to do integration, I wouldn't have to do quarantine, as the birds were from the same source. My breeder agrees.

Does this sound like reasonable guidance? Obviously, I would like it to be! I don't think that I've seen this addressed as a specific topic, so I felt it worth its own thread.

 

[ChimkinNug]

Hi everyone-

I have three pullets from a local breeder, picked up this past March 7. She practices very tight biosecurity and is NPIP certified (also state certified as AI-free.) Meanwhile, no one who has visited our home has had any contact with chickens other than in the meat department in the grocery store.

The current girls are 22 1/2 weeks and laying. I am picking up two more from the same breeder, no changes in her farm management, on July 22.

Several months(?) ago, I mentioned my plans here on BYC, and one of the experienced and respected members here mentioned that although I'd still have to do integration, I wouldn't have to do quarantine, as the birds were from the same source. My breeder agrees.

Does this sound like reasonable guidance? Obviously, I would like it to be! I don't think that I've seen this addressed as a specific topic, so I felt it worth its own thread.

I'm not an expert, but I can tell you that I would not quarantine in that situation.

 

[townchicks]

The way I look at it, quarantine can't possibly hurt. Not quarantining can possibly hurt. It seems unlikely, but, for me, peace of mind is worth a few weeks of extra hassle.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

The way I look at it, quarantine can't possibly hurt. Not quarantining can possibly hurt. It seems unlikely, but, for me, peace of mind is worth a few weeks of extra hassle.

Fair enough. We have a very real space constraint, which elevates the problem beyond my very real “I don’t wanna.”

Would a few weeks be sufficient? I’ve always read a month.

 

[townchicks]

Most folks do a few weeks, myself included, ideally a month, but since they are coming from the same NPIP breeder, a month really doesn't seem necessary. Space constraints are real, I get it. I actually do my quarantine in a pop up dog kennel in my house, PIA, but doable for a few birds for a few weeks. But that's me, and full disclosure, quarantined, healthy looking adult birds that I adopted, still ended up being carriers for MS, MG and ALV. Nobody got sick, except one of the adopted ones. The other two are fine two years later. So visual inspection is not always reliable. I'd do it again, anyway, and I don't breed or sell so that's my choice.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would advise doing quarantine but given the circumstances, if it were me, I would just go straight to working on integration. Do as I say, not as I do.

 

[Mrs. K]

It sounds like she is on top of it. I too would just get them in the flock. But a couple of points. I don't have a valuable flock, I would not go into the state of decline if birds did get sick.

But on the other side, you could consider those birds at her place as being in quarantine - they are not being exposed to other birds, or people who handle live birds. So would consider that a go.

There are people who buy and sell birds in auctions, or birds that go to bird shows - those birds can be exposed to anything, they could harbor it, and of course bring it into your flock. But it sounds like she has a closed flock not exposed to other bird diseases.

Mrs K

 

[Mother of Chaos]

It sounds like she is on top of it. I too would just get them in the flock. But a couple of points. I don't have a valuable flock, I would not go into the state of decline if birds did get sick.

But on the other side, you could consider those birds at her place as being in quarantine - they are not being exposed to other birds, or people who handle live birds. So would consider that a go.

There are people who buy and sell birds in auctions, or birds that go to bird shows - those birds can be exposed to anything, they could harbor it, and of course bring it into your flock. But it sounds like she has a closed flock not exposed to other bird diseases.

Mrs K

This (bolded) is a really interesting way of looking at it! And it does ring true to me. Neither of us have had visitors who’ve been around other chickens.