Urgent Reminder-PLEASE Quarantine Newly Acquired Birds!

[Crazy4Chicks]

should I be worried about my brooder babies ? I got them all at Tractor Supply but they all came from Privett - could they have gotten sick in transport? or at the store with people man handling them before we got them?

they are all getting medicated water/feed but should I be doing more for them? this will be my first time adding new birds to my flock -

Julie

 

[speckledhen]

This is an old thread, but I think it bears bringing it back up to the top. I'm seeing way too many people getting birds and just throwing them in with their flocks lately. Please read and heed the warnings! Miss Prissy also started a thread after this one on the same thing when people were getting birds at swaps alot.

 

[bungaree chickens]

oh, I hadn't even thought about this....yes, the could be sick and then all the birds would be at risk...thanks for this reminder!!!

 

[cheeptrick]

Buyers beware...but also SELLERS beware. All my birds are hatchery vaccinated, annual state testing, and any hatched only come from NPIP certified breeders. I hatched out some silkies that were not NPIP certified and NEVER added them to my flock. Luckily, I had someone who wanted them all (-:
But after selling 8 adult hens, and giving away 6 silkie chicks...I had reports that after quarantining for the 30 days which I completely DOUBT they actually did this...that 2 succombed out of the 8 adult hens...she blamed ME for selling them mid March and that the winter had stressed them out. They had the birds separated in the SAME pen...with chicken wire in between...I explained to them that this was not enough...but I was rebuffed...then blamed for the death because I was NOT supposed to sell hens in the winter time.
MY hens were VERY healthy when they left MY care and I will REFUSE to sell to anyone ever again...It did come to my attention later that I sold to someone who had animal cruelty charges against them for dog breeding which was dropped...I was completely SICKENED and wanted to GET my hens back! But there was nothing I could do...

The buyer did say the other 6 hens were fine...but I was still saddened the two died.
Alas...SELLERS beware also and ask for REFERENCES from the BUYERS TOO and get their VET information!! I knew she was lying to me because she told me the VET told her that I was not supposed to sell birds in the winter that it causes stress and they all die...when I asked her if the VET did a necropsy she asked me what is a necropsy...an avian vet would do an immediate necropsy!!

I hope my story helps others!

 

[Sarree]

I don't understand, If they are carriers for life of some diseases and show no symptoms, how will you ever know that you can put them in with the other chicks?

 

[MonkeyZero]

Well do you think I should quarentine. The girl Im getting them(hens) from is a vet tech. She says they are healthy.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Those are harder. Quarantine is the least you can do, but it isn't foolproof. Some may not show symptoms of what they are carriers of and when you buy adult birds, you really do take your chances.

You should ALWAYS quarantine. A vet tech can't see if they are carrier of something without testing for all that they could be carriers of. She may think they are healthy and they may be, but has she had them from hatch? Does she know for sure? It's a chance you take when you buy birds.

 

[asher]

Bottom line, everyone should quarantine, period unless it's hatchery chicks that have never been elsewhere, just as Cyn said.

Me, personally, I have a few people that I will buy birds from and I will not quarantine because they are friends and I've been to their place and I know them and I know they would not sell me a bird that they had any question was ill. Won't work for everyone, but has for me so far. *Knock on wood*

In general, though, yes, I'd say quarantine.

 

[speckledhen]

I even tell people who buy my birds to quarantine. To my knowledge, they have never had anything communicable at all, but what happens if they have just contracted something and haven't shown symptoms yet for me to know? It's just a good practice. I'm just super-cautious about stuff like that. Call me the Quarantine Queen, LOL! Unless you have a working relationship with someone like asher does and feel safe taking birds from that certain person without a quarantine period, I'd never make an exception. But I'd probably still do it. That's just me.

 

[chickiebaby]

This is such a good reminder. Thanks, all. I don't know what I'd do without some of you more experienced professors of poultry.