Quaratine?

[Three Stents]

When chicken(s) are added to an existing flock, do you always quaratine?

 

[AshVau22]

I do quarantine. I know people who don't and I guess they are "lucky" they haven't had any massive amount of death/sickness in their flock. But these people also find random dead birds often. Could it be from adding new birds or the lack of care they give their birds I don't know. Probably a mixture of both.
I do 3 to 4 week.

I love my birds and the thought of them getting sick and me having to cull them because I brought in a sickness to them would be devastating to me.

 

[urlocalcrazychickenlady]

When chicken(s) are added to an existing flock, do you always quaratine?

I never have I’ve never had any issues but I haven’t done it often. Ofc I’ve added new chicks to the coop in a separate cage and left them in there for 2ish weeks just for them to get bigger so they can fend for themselves. I’ve introduced 3 roosters into my flock the day I got them and no illness ever happened.

 

[urlocalcrazychickenlady]

I never have I’ve never had any issues but I haven’t done it often. Ofc I’ve added new chicks to the coop in a separate cage and left them in there for 2ish weeks just for them to get bigger so they can fend for themselves. I’ve introduced 3 roosters into my flock the day I got them and no illness ever happened.

I just don’t feel it’s necessary unless you know the chicken(s) you introduce have been around illness or have it.

 

[urlocalcrazychickenlady]

I just don’t feel it’s necessary unless you know the chicken(s) you introduce have been around illness or have it.

But that’s just my opinion. Do whatever you want just letting u know I have been successful without quarantine

 

[StinkyAcres]

I do not quarantine young chicks from hatcheries or most NPIP certified breeders. All others I'd quarantine. I did a very strict 4-week-long quarantine when I added my ducks (they came from a hobby backyard breeder in the city).

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I keep a closed flock. The only new birds that come in are day-old chicks from an established hatchery. If I DID get or take in an adult bird, I would absolutely quarantine for at least a month. I've read too many sad, sad stories on here from folks who took in a stray or rescue chicken and ended up with their flock contaminated with Marek's or some other devastating disease, and now they can never sell, trade, show or give away a bird from their property again. Every bird on their place is a carrier for life, even if it doesn't get sick and die. Or they have to destroy their flock and not have chickens for years. It's just not worth it. I don't even let people who have chickens anywhere near my coop or my birds, and there is nothing special about my birds. I just happen to love them.

 

[Three Stents]

I don't even let people who have chickens anywhere near my coop or my birds, and there is nothing special about my birds. I just happen to love them.

seriously?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I used to. I also used to have designated farm store shoes that never got worn near the coop. Now I free-range in a much different scenario and I built my current flock without quarantining a single bird.

Here’s the thing: a lot of chicken things are not one-size-fits-all. You end up doing what works for you in your situation. I have bought sick birds (long story and I think I had a thread about it) who probably had MG. I did quarantine them. And I put them in my flock once they were better. Whenever one of them had a flare-up back into quarantine they went. It wasn’t a wise decision to buy the birds in the first place but I learned a lot from that experience and it could have been worse. That was years ago in a suburban backyard. In my current situation quarantining is possible but not practical. I would be doing a very sloppy and ineffective job which is an exercise in futility.

The thing about quarantine is to do it right you have to be very careful and not everyone has the space and ability to do it properly. I suspect most of the “lucky” ones don’t realize they are lucky at all.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

seriously?

As it happens, I don't know anybody who has chickens, but yeah. I wouldn't. I'm moving into Ameraucanas and at these prices, I'm not risking them.