We've Learned our Lesson About Poultry Swaps....

[Lilorp14]

Hello Everyone,

Last Saturday my little sister bought eight chicks from multiple different people at a poultry swap. It was a rush-and-go type of situation, so we didn't inspect the chicks thoroughly enough. Turns out, 5 of the eight have pinky toes half the size as they should be with no claws on both toes. They're all Silkies, except 2 which are Frizzled Cochin/Silkie. There's no problem with them otherwise, and obviously we won't be breeding these, but does anyone know how this comes to be? I suspect inbreeding...
I'm still going to be a regular at poultry swaps because frankly its Heaven on earth for me, (lol) but I'll be sure to do a thorough inspection on all of my possible purchases in the future.

Thanks,

-S

 

[coach723]

Could be a deformity, could be they lost toes to injury.
Swaps can be a good thing, however it's buyer beware. You should always quarantine any new birds for at least 4 - 6 weeks before adding them to an existing flock. It may not stop everything, but it gives a much better chance of seeing illness before you spread it to your entire flock. If you bring a virus in, it will then be on your property and in your flock. Sometimes that can cause loss of an entire flock. There are honest and ethical sellers/swappers and some that are not.

 

[Lilorp14]

Could be a deformity, could be they lost toes to injury.
Swaps can be a good thing, however it's buyer beware. You should always quarantine any new birds for at least 4 - 6 weeks before adding them to an existing flock. It may not stop everything, but it gives a much better chance of seeing illness before you spread it to your entire flock. If you bring a virus in, it will then be on your property and in your flock. Sometimes that can cause loss of an entire flock. There are honest and ethical sellers/swappers and some that are not.

Yeah, I have penned them off from the other chicks/chickens, but I'm being a little lazy because the swap I went to is big scale and the organizer only accepts people who are NPIP certified and AI and PT clean. My sister told me that 3 of her chicks (2 of which are deformed) came from a guy who, in my opinion, didn't care for his birds well at all. She had been rummaging through the bins of chicks and pulled one out that she liked, but it ended up having an extremely deformed leg and was blind in one eye. She told the guy and he just kind of laughed and said it was born that way. ???

 

[Krazyquilts]

Yeah, I have penned them off from the other chicks/chickens, but I'm being a little lazy because the swap I went to is big scale and the organizer only accepts people who are NPIP certified and AI and PT clean. My sister told me that 3 of her chicks (2 of which are deformed) came from a guy who, in my opinion, didn't care for his birds well at all. She had been rummaging through the bins of chicks and pulled one out that she liked, but it ended up having an extremely deformed leg and was blind in one eye. She told the guy and he just kind of laughed and said it was born that way. ???

The organizer should be made aware of that person's lack of values and the fact that he is selling deformed birds.