Stray Chicken and Diseases

[ruffles]

My animal Control Officer has an unclaimed rhode island red chicken, she is reluctant to give it to me as I have 19 chickens, and it could be carrying a disease.

The chicken has been in her care for about one week, appears healthy, I clean her coop at the shelter where she is being housed, what if anything shold I fear my chickens picking up?/

I know of no illnessess involving chickens in my Town , which is a farming community.

Also, my other concern is introducing her to whichever gruop I decide to put her with

Our chickens are separated, older group one and a half, a group of 9 month old, and another group 7 months old.

 

[MTopPA_18707]

Good question but hard to say . . .

The bird should be quarantined for 30 days.

Then pick one of your birds [the one you could most live without] and put those two birds together for a second month.

At the end of that time, you could probably add the hen to your flock.

Your question is a good one . . . imagine how you'd feel loosing your flock to disease.

Xriva