thinking about selling everything and starting from scratch

[browning6]

It appears that my wife and i will be moving in about 4 months to a different state. I have a flock of birds that i have acquired from purchasing one here and there. i have at least 12 different breeds and colors represented in my flock. It has been super fun.

However, I have suffered from several illnesses that have run through my flock. I had the avian pox that went through everything and killed a few here and there. i thought it had worked through and then it came back a second time when i had some young chicks. i have had Mites a couple times but never really bad. I have had a couple mystery illnesses. one of which paralyzed a completely healthy chick and made him claw his neck to the point of bleeding.

My thought is that i just start over and find some hatching eggs and a few chicks from reliable sources and go from there.

What are everybody's thoughts? am i going to get rid of my illnesses by starting new? My flock has been relatively healthy the last 2 months but i know that doesn't mean much.

Also i have coturnix quail. they haven't been effected at all. can i keep my quail or will they carry illnesses that will be passed to my new birds?


I would like to hear what everyone has to hear.

 

[dawg53]

Avian pox rarely kills birds unless it's wet pox. Birds die from starvation due to wet pox. Once pox passes through a flock, they are immune to that particular strain. Purchasing birds from here and there is a recipe for disaster which can lead to different types of diseases and parasites being introduced to healthy birds in an existing flock. There's no telling what diseases they have been exposed to, birds appearing to be healthy could be carrier birds. You wont know until you have a bird or two tested by bloodwork or necropsy. You can contact your local extension office or state agricultural department to find out how to go about testing your birds. Your other option is to cull the birds before moving or take them with you and maintain a closed flock.