Speckledhen's Ten Commandments of Good Flock Management

[vermontgal]

I like the idea of disinfecting shoes after going to the feed store. I hadn't thought of that before. That seems especially important because someone else might be there, because they have a sick bird. This could be the chicken equivalent of picking up an illness when you go to the doctor's office for a routine check-up!

I should also talk to my neighbors about disinfecting shoes before/ after they visit their daughter who has chickens in NY, to prevent spread of anything between our two flocks. It is very helpful to me that their daughter also has chickens, because it helps my neighbors understand and be extra friendly to my chickens!!

It is also interesting to think about what a closed flock means to someone in an urban setting who cannot have roosters. It sounds like buying day-old chicks from the same hatchery, in successive years, is one reasonable semi-closed approach? Another is to purchase hatching eggs? But to do even these with caution.

I also appreciate the advice to spend some time watching the flock each day. Hard to do in the cold barn in Vermont in the absolute dead of winter, but generally a good idea.

Thanks, SpeckledHen and all, for an informative post.

 

[spook]

Quote:
I'll answer a couple of these, You don't "have" to disinfect your shoes or clothing as long as you keep your footwear and clothing job specific. It may be easier to have shoes for off grounds chores- shopping etc, then the rest of you and your clothing being all over your land. ~but a tad bit of bleach in water can go a long ways.


Then, buying chicks from one hatchery doesn't always mean you have controlled off spring. It does not mean you have genetically equal birds. Often hatcheries, Joe down the road, has nice birds, offers to "sub" contract a fertile egg order, so the big marketing hatchery can sell them off to the country. Now, that doesn't mean last years RIR's are Joe's in Maine, they can be Steve's in Texas, Dottie's in NY and Susan's LA. These are examples, but you can see why just ordering from the same hatchery isn't overly helpful. Not only that, but perhaps a bird flew over the pen of the previously NPIP chickens and now they are positive. Also suddenly having birds inoculated or Battery hens can post a terrible consequence of health risks as they would become carriers and not show any ill health.
I have never known of such things until recently and it shocks me too. So good luck, and treat your birds only after blood tests confirming what health issues are at hand and do not be afraid of asking your States Vet or diagnostics lab through the local extension service.

 

[speckledhen]

I'll answer a couple of these, You don't "have" to disinfect your shoes or clothing as long as you keep your footwear and clothing job specific. It may be easier to have shoes for off grounds chores- shopping etc, then the rest of you and your clothing being all over your land. ~but a tad bit of bleach in water can go a long ways.

True, and I do have my "chicken shoes" that I wear outside, and never off the property. My "going to town" shoes go across some of the ground around the house to get to my car, so they travel across some of the ground that is in the chickens' freerange area; because of that, I need to spray them when I've been places where other chicken-keeping folk have been, especially the feedstore. My main thing with the shoes is to have anyone who comes here spray their shoes-I do need one of those disinfecting mats they sell, really. Not a perfect system, but at least it's better than not trying at all, I think.​

 

[OrpingtonManor]

Quote:
True, and I do have my "chicken shoes" that I wear outside, and never off the property. My "going to town" shoes go across some of the ground around the house to get to my car, so they travel across some of the ground that is in the chickens' freerange area; because of that, I need to spray them when I've been places where other chicken-keeping folk have been, especially the feedstore. My main thing with the shoes is to have anyone who comes here spray their shoes-I do need one of those disinfecting mats they sell, really. Not a perfect system, but at least it's better than not trying at all, I think.

What are these mats?

And is there a spray that doesn't contain bleach? (That seems like it would ruin the shoes. I don't have money for new shoes.)

I have "chicken shoes" and "work and errand shoes." I feel like I have been very lucky, because I didn't think about walking on my own driveway with both pairs of shoes. However, I did realize that I couldn't visit the silkies up the road anymore once I got my own chickens. My chickens are healthy. I'd like to keep it that way.

 

[speckledhen]

Some of our sponsors probably sell one. You use a disinfectant called Tektrol or you can use Oxine. You just step on the mat and it's saturated with either one of these. Actually, Oxine is far better than bleach.

 

[mamaKate]

I haven't had chickens for a few years, consequently my attention to bio-security has lapsed. I'm starting a very small flock this spring. I went to the Ag Expo in my work shoes a couple of weeks ago and didn't give it a thought for several days. How much risk have I taken??

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
No way to know if you picked up something or not. All you can do is be more careful in the future.

 

[Barn Maid Ann]

Read the entire thread with interest. I have a few questions. I am a casual, newbie BYC owner. Only recently did I find BYC forum. Since, after reading many threads, I have decided a closed flock would be best.
BUT ..... I have added chickens to our originals twice. Once when I bought day old chicks from MMcM last June. And a second time last fall when I traded some of those for two adult EE's.
One of those two did have some congestion after a day or two. She ate and acted normally, so I just kept an eye on her. It cleared in about 18 hours. A cold didn't come to mind, but I figured it was just stress from moving. Recently, this same hen (now living with the rest of the flock) had another bout of congestion.
After reading this thread, apparently this is something to be alarmed about.

My questions involve testing, culling, and state vets. Who do I get in contact with? What would one ask to be tested? Or tested for?

I keep hearing all about culling here on this forum. If you really don't know how, or don't really want to experiment, what would you do. If a vet humanely destroys your chicken, can it still be tested? Can the vet send it off to the proper facility?

 

[waynesgarden]

Quote:
WARNING: ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE ALERT!

Little to none, in my opinion. I've been occasionally going to fairs, shows, expos, feed stores and friends' farms, etc for many many years, and have never sterilized or intentionally changed footwear for such purposes. My various small livestock has not suffered as a result.

If there were outbreaks of animal illness in the area, I would take necessary precautions, just as I would if there was a human illness outbreak. Absent that, I'll continue to not go to such measures. Yes, I know that an illness might be prevented by such measures just as human illnesses might be prevented by disinfecting everything touched by my human visitors (especially by their children) but I'm not one to go to such extremes.

I'd be interested in how anyone can measure the risk of going to an Ag Expo to a flock that does not exist yet.

Everyone is welcome to take whatever measures they feel to be important. But fears need to be tempered by likelyhood of danger.

Wayne

 

[speckledhen]

I dont think I'm overly cautious, and the small things I do to ensure that I dont track something nasty home do become second nature after you do them for awhile. I certainly dont put on a hazmat suit to go to the feedstore, LOL. And it's easier doing little precautionary things as a routine than saying, Nah, nothing will happen and then having something really happen because I didnt do a simple thing to prevent it. It's everyone's choice what and how much they do with their own flock, but when they come here, they at least disinfect their shoes.