New pullets need quarantine advice please :)

Duckfarmerpa1

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Hi! We are relatively new to chickens but catching on fast. I currently have a healthy flock of 12 hens one rooster..2 17 week old pullets and 5 cockerels. I won’t bore you with breeds but theyre nice. Any ways, we have two a joint coops only separatEd by chicken wire so my pullets could do the look but no touch. That’s been going on since the brooder.
I knew in the spring I wanted to expand by at least ten...to finally sell eggs.at this point I just give them away. Yesterday I came across the deal we couldn’t pass up! We got 4 silver laced Orpington, 5 buff orphington, one EE, one black Orpington, and one Americana. Beautiful 4 month pullets.
So, I. Was hoping to move my two pullets into the big coop and put a division between the coop. We would keep one cockerel, and put him in with my flock and pray it goes well with my other roo. He’s calmed down quite a bit. But... I was on BYC last night...which many of you have...had, not the best experience there. I have received much flack there in the past for our too many ducks... Last night it was about a strick one month far away quarantine. I did know it was a month. But, I can’t ask my hubby..in December..and, truthfully, I’m too busy also..to build another coop and run. So..can we kee them in the cages they are in now...put them in rabbit hutches..but put down some wood for warmth...put up a small fenced area for a run...

The huge problem is, my husband thinks all this chicken info and precaution is balogne...how do I convince him to get on board?

And, yes, once again, I was chicken shamed at BYC, and sad for it..:(. Here are some pictures of. The rabbit hutches...two hens...
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Xerocles

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Tell you what. I'll join you on your "walk of shame". Now, yes, technically the bullies on BYC are right. And if I had registered show birds that could sell for $200/pair.....I would use every precaution in the book (in fact, I DO have an isolation coop, over 100 yards from the main run, with separate everything. I was beset by the BYCbullies also).
But.
Lets be reasonable here. If you know where the new chickens come from, and you saw their environment and it was clean, and the chickens look healthy....I would, and will take the chance. Just realize that you ARE taking a chance, and things COULD go bad. Be prepared for the worst and know you're not going to beat yourself up too much if the worst should happen.
But, to hear the "experts" talk, every chicken in the world (except theirs) is a "typhoid Mary" just waiting to decimate your flock. Fact is, the VAST MAJORITY of us have perfectly, or relatively healthy flocks. Now, I wouldn't buy a chicken from a flea market or someplace like that. Well, I guess I could leave that statement at that. I wouldn't. But what I was about to say I wouldn't do THAT without quarentine.
But I just can't live my life in a state of paranoia. Think it out. Take reasonable precautions, and realize we're dealing with relatively inexpensive stock. Now, if those are your dear darling beloved pets you have there, and you're one of those snowflakes like the lady on BYC who spent $650 on the vet for her unregistered chicken, then by all means, build or have built, a quarentine run.
Bottom line, YOUR decision, your comfort level. Do what you can live with. But I'm with hubby on this one.
 

Baymule

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You were chicken shamed over those lovely hutches? What a bunch of witches. In one hand I agree with @Xerocles on the other hand, a 30 day vacation in those lovely rabbit hotels is not going to damage your new chickens nor cause the psychological harm. By all means, isolate them for the required time and you will feel better about it.

PICTURES!!! I love and adore silver lace pattern!!
 

Xerocles

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In one hand I agree with @Xerocles
Careful now, @Baymule the last person who agreed with me ended up doing 10-20 in federal max security. :lol:
I just see things differently than many people today, in our sterilized, safe, litigious society. When people ask for advice, like @Duckfarmerpa1 or even like me, they need to hear the "safe" way to do it. But there's safe and then there's reasonable. Safe is what she received on BYC. But I find it helps to hear BOTH sides and make up our own minds at our own comfort levels. If all we ever hear is safe, we end up like Ralphie on "A Christmas Story" bundled up so safe that we can't enjoy ourselves.
Duckfarmer, I apologize for hi-jacking your post for this, but I just wanted everyone to be sure of WHY I said the things I said.:duc
 

Hens and Roos

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You were chicken shamed over those lovely hutches? What a bunch of witches. In one hand I agree with @Xerocles on the other hand, a 30 day vacation in those lovely rabbit hotels is not going to damage your new chickens nor cause the psychological harm. By all means, isolate them for the required time and you will feel better about it.

PICTURES!!! I love and adore silver lace pattern!!

I agree with @Baymule give them a 30 day vacation in the rabbit hotels just to be on the safe side!
 

animalmom

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What's wrong with the rabbit cages? I've put injured chickens in empty rabbit cages with rabbits in the next cage and have had no problems.

Look, I understand a 30 day quarantine and do so for new stock like goat or rabbit... but come on, it is just a chicken. Of course my hens would get their feathers ruffled if they heard me say that.

Some folks take bio-security to a higher level than I do. Yes I have my "poo shoes" that I wear when I go into any pen and yes I take them off as soon as I come in so that I'm not tracking crap, literally, through the house. Do I have separate tools for gardening, animal care and human care? You double betcha I do. If you want to get on my bad side just take a kitchen utensil and use it in the barn. What in the name of goathood do you think bleach bottles are for? The top of bleach bottles make the best funnels and the bottom works well for a temporary feed dish (depending on the animal). Not to mention the gallon jugs of vinegar when empty make a great rabbit hay rack.

One of my mother's favorite sayings was "My house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy." Kind of sums it up for me.

Off rant, returning to previously scheduled broadcasting.
 

Bruce

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The biggest fear I know of when bringing birds into your flock is Marek's because once it is in your soil it is there pretty much forever and all future chickens will be exposed. Some birds will be relatively resistant, many will die. If you know Microchick on BYC she's had to deal with this. Pretty heartbreaking to watch your flock drop one bird at a time. I think pretty much any other transmittable chicken disease can be treated.

I've only gotten day olds from major hatcheries so I don't have concerns about putting them in a brooder in the coop with the older girls. Like @Xerocles, I wouldn't buy a chicken at a swap, that seems like Russian Roulette to me. But if you know where these girls came from is clean, I mean KNOW, as he stated, not just have an address to pick them up, I might isolate near the existing flock as you have suggested. Otherwise I think the rabbit hutches a good distance from the current flock would be in order. I have several girls that spend a week a few times a year in a broody buster about the same size as those cages. Your biggest problem will be keeping unfrozen water available.

And I apologize for whoever was rude or condescending on BYC. Sadly I know several people who have bailed on that site for that very reason. I don't know why people can't give constructive criticism rather than dumping on someone who poses a question.
 

Duckfarmerpa1

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Careful now, @Baymule the last person who agreed with me ended up doing 10-20 in federal max security. :lol:
I just see things differently than many people today, in our sterilized, safe, litigious society. When people ask for advice, like @Duckfarmerpa1 or even like me, they need to hear the "safe" way to do it. But there's safe and then there's reasonable. Safe is what she received on BYC. But I find it helps to hear BOTH sides and make up our own minds at our own comfort levels. If all we ever hear is safe, we end up like Ralphie on "A Christmas Story" bundled up so safe that we can't enjoy ourselves.
Duckfarmer, I apologize for hi-jacking your post for this, but I just wanted everyone to be sure of WHY I said the things I said.:duc
You dint hijack...:lol: as I said in your thread...that’s what these things are for...we all need to speak up and help each other! I wouldn’t ask if I truly didn’t want everyones two cents!! :)
 

Duckfarmerpa1

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What's wrong with the rabbit cages? I've put injured chickens in empty rabbit cages with rabbits in the next cage and have had no problems.

Look, I understand a 30 day quarantine and do so for new stock like goat or rabbit... but come on, it is just a chicken. Of course my hens would get their feathers ruffled if they heard me say that.

Some folks take bio-security to a higher level than I do. Yes I have my "poo shoes" that I wear when I go into any pen and yes I take them off as soon as I come in so that I'm not tracking crap, literally, through the house. Do I have separate tools for gardening, animal care and human care? You double betcha I do. If you want to get on my bad side just take a kitchen utensil and use it in the barn. What in the name of goathood do you think bleach bottles are for? The top of bleach bottles make the best funnels and the bottom works well for a temporary feed dish (depending on the animal). Not to mention the gallon jugs of vinegar when empty make a great rabbit hay rack.

One of my mother's favorite sayings was "My house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy." Kind of sums it up for me.

Off rant, returning to previously scheduled broadcasting.
Wow..that was GREAT! My husband would be sooo happy to hear that I’m speaking to relaxEd farmers! Everyone I talk to wants me to build Fort Knox. And..the thing is..I’ve listened. We went out and built another coop. But we didn’t put it so far away because our free range cockerels were all over the place while building. The place I thought we could put it,..and we h chicken tractors that we were going to cut and drill together for runs..but, I was afraid it would attract the free rangers that way. It’s further than I want them..but it was a spot we had electrical outlets for their water. Sooo we ended up putting the NEW coop over by the the other two. It’s not nice, but it’ll do for Now, until spring when we rebuild it alllll. So...they will probably end up being able to free range will the younger birds sooner than they should. My husband said he’s willing to take the risk. I started them on dewormEr today. They are very gentle birds. Gorgeous! We didn’t build nest boxes but they are only about 14 weeks old so we have time. We got a horrible storm tod. First it was pouring and then it turned into that heavy wet snow..getting about 5”. My hubby plows for our rental properties. We have 35 units, so he’ll be busy in the morning. :(

Thanks soo much everyone for all the tips..and for not scolding me for jumping into more birds. :)
 
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