Should I Be Worried? Mixing Ages...

[ShortCircuitRanch2332]

Hate to bump in on your thread but i have a question on this subject
Don't we have to quarantine our new chicks from chicks we already have or is it just with juveniles you do this with??

 

[Reyvaughn]

I have a red heat lamp. Blue Legs is still harassing the day olds. I decided I will separate them for now. The Easter Eggers are tame and I want to keep them that way. The Leghorns are flighty and cause the most issues in the brooder and I don't want the EEs to learn their habits. I'll reintroduce them when the EEs get a little bigger. I am going to see about a few more chicks this weekend to round off my flock. I may need to drive over an hour to another TSC, but I have 2 I want to call and see what breeds they have in. I am hoping for Delawares, SLWs, GLWs, BRs, SSs, BAs or BMs. Their age and disposition will determine which brooder they will go in. If either of the other TSCs have what I am looking for, of course.

Yeah, I am addicted and yeah, I am acting like a mother hen hoovering over the EEs. I can't help it.

EDIT: I didn't quarantine my chicks. They all came from TSC so they already had their shots.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Generally - and it's a big "generally" - chicks don't need to be quarantined because they aren't old enough to have developed immunities to something from whence they came, to be carriers of anything dangerous. Also, if you get them from the same feed store (for example) you are getting them probably from the same hatchery, from where the feed store purchases them.

Juveniles need to be quarantined from adult birds because they also have not developed good immunity systems against whatever YOUR chickens may have developed immunities against. This doesn't apply to broody-raised chicks, by the way, as they pick up immunities from the hen who hatched them.

Newly acquired adult birds need to be quarantined from your flock because they HAVE developed immunities from another location which might not be compatible with those of your flock.

Kind of a simplistic explanation.... someone is sure to comment with corrections, additions, etc.

 

[chicken589]

Nice thread, I was also wondering whether I could throw my new purchases in with my older chicks. Sounds like it won't be a problem.