Thoughts on Separate Coop to Keep Lifelong Carriers

[Blackoutcat]

Hey all. I got a trio of 5 week old Ayam Cemani's last month and put them in quarentine inside my house. Bio security has been as tight as I can reasonably keep it. I change my entire outfit to visit the quarentine chicks and wash all the exposed skin on my arms after taking said clothes off and storing them in a separate place from my normal attire. I tend to visit them last when doing chores as well so I generally have several hours between visits to the barn and the quarentine pen.

Last week one of the chicks started having a rattle/gurgle in its breathing. I can't get to a vet right now to check what it is but I have been treating with structured silver in the water, increased ventilation, and an increased cleaning schedule. They were on standard medicated feed until 7 weeks old when I switched to the unmedicated grower feed I use. The chick was showing symptoms before the switch was made.

The affected chick is hanging in there. Still breathing with a low gurgle and sneezing once in awhile. Occasionally I clean beige/yellow crusties off its nares and it squints slightly. No signs of lethargy, still growing, it is smaller than it's counterparts but it was the smallest of the group when I bought them.

All I read online about respiratory diseases and chickens has me thinking I won't be able to introduce these chicks, even if the sick one gets better, without putting my entire laying flock at risk. I love these guys dearly, super sweet and friendly which I hear is atypical for Cemani's, obviously I want to keep them.

I have the time, money, and space to accommodate a second coop and run. I am also able to put it more than thirty feet away from the existing coop and run.

Has anyone had success with running two completely separate flocks? Does anyone think it's possible to manage biosecurity like this?

I'm willing to put in the effort to try if it's possibly a viable idea.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[altair]

What are your goals for the layer flock? If your objective is just eggs, or eggs then meat, then I think it would be fine to mix them. If the trio wasn't from a tested flock, then assume they probably carry permanent respiratory disease. Which isn't necessarily a death sentence provided your goal isn't to have any of these birds or hatching eggs ever go off the property.

 

[Blackoutcat]

What are your goals for the layer flock? If your objective is just eggs, or eggs then meat, then I think it would be fine to mix them. If the trio wasn't from a tested flock, then assume they probably carry permanent respiratory disease. Which isn't necessarily a death sentence provided your goal isn't to have any of these birds or hatching eggs ever go off the property.

I am keeping a rooster and plan to hatch out eggs to renew my own flock. I don't have plans to sell eggs or chicks but I would like to be able to if someone asked. I grant you I don't know many people who would want chickens right now but I can't predict the future. I do want to network with people at shows and on local poultry groups.