Sickly looking chicks...what to treat them with now?

[speckledhen]

If it makes you feel any better, even with a long quarantine, it can happen that you add a carrier to the flock. It's rare, but it does happen. You can't see germs so all you can do is be super cautious.

 

[gjensen]

Quote:
That is EXACTLY correct, and an excellent point. Quarantining is NOT a complete solution. It is so easy to spread something that you cannot see. Quarantines are a hope that the stress of a new enviroment etc. will trigger a response before the bird is introduced. Some problems are notorious for remaining hidden. Mycoplasma is one. The more virulent the strain is the more likely it will show up in quarantine. The less virulent strains can go un detected, but your existing flock having not being exposed is at risk when the conditions are right.

 

[carolinagirl58]

The really sad thing about this is the woman I bough my chicks from is selling chicks to other local folks and not disclosing the fact that her chicks may have been exposed to a carrier bird. I wonder how many flocks have been infected because of this?