Quarantine??

[Guest]

In the fall of 2010, I want to add more Ameraucanas to my flock of 9 hens. My girls are healthy and I want to make sure that they stay that way.

I will be purchasing 4 POL pullets from a breeder.

 What are your standard quarantine routines and guidelines??
How far do you keep them from your org. flock?  What do you feed? Do you add vitamins, minerals, antibodies? Do you dust them? Worm?

Thank you ...QB

[John]

Check out some old topics on quarantine...
http://ameraucana.org/abcforum/index.php?a=topic&t=731
http://ameraucana.org/abcforum/index.php?a=topic&t=442
http://ameraucana.org/abcforum/index.php?a=topic&t=1148

[Guest]

Thank you, John.. I read all three but still have tons of questions.. You stated that you don\'t quarantine, Is that correct? If not, do you vacc. the new birds?? I have searched the forum and there isn\'t much information about what, when, how to quarantine.

So, what are your veiws on it???

[John]

I generally don\'t quarantine new birds that I buy, but don\'t recommend others don\'t.  First it is seldom that I bring new birds into my flocks and those that I do are normally from other breeders that I know very well.  I know the facilities these birds came from.  If I bought a bird at a swap meet from someone I didn\'t know it would be a different story.
Quarantine, to me, just means to keep the new bird isolated from your flock (an other birds) for 21 days.  If no signs of disease show up then introduce the bird to the flock.
I don\'t vaccinate new birds as they come in, but they do get vaccinated as part of any flock vaccination that I do.