04/28/2026
🚨 Why You Should ALWAYS Quarantine New Birds 🚨
I want to share something important from personal experience, because this is one of those lessons that can cost you your entire flock if you learn it the hard way.
Quarantining new birds is not optional. It’s not “extra.” It’s essential.
I’ve had more than one experience that reinforced this for me.
Example 1:
I ordered chicks from a very well-known, commonly used hatchery. I won’t name them, but this is a hatchery many people trust and use regularly.
My order was in transit less than 48 hours, and I picked it up within a couple hours of the post office calling me.
When I opened the box, 7 out of 24 chicks were already dead. Not just dead, but rancid. The smell was so bad I actually vomited opening the box.
Based on the condition they were in and the short transit time, they were very likely gone shortly after being packed, not simply from being in the mail too long.
That immediately raised red flags, so I put them in a completely separate brooder in a separate area.
Within the first 24 hours, all but 4 were dead.
Even the ones that came out of the box alive were clearly not healthy. Their eyes were swelling, they were rapidly declining, and it looked much more like illness than simple shipping stress.
Example 2:
Another time, I brought in a new bird for my breeding program to add to our bloodline.
I drove to get the bird, paid for it, brought it home, and it was dead within 24 hours.
Again, this reinforced the same lesson: just because a bird is alive when you pick it up does not mean it is healthy or safe to place near your flock.
That is exactly why quarantine matters.
The hard truth is this:
Even birds that look perfectly fine can carry illness, parasites, or other problems that can spread to your existing birds.
And once something is introduced into your flock, it can be incredibly difficult and expensive to deal with.
Quarantine gives you time to:
• watch for symptoms
• assess overall condition
• treat if needed
• protect the birds you already have
A proper quarantine means:
• a completely separate space
• no shared feeders or waterers
• separate shoes, hands, and equipment if possible
• enough time to observe them before any contact with your flock
It can feel excessive when you’re excited about new birds, but it is one of the most important precautions you can take.
Quarantine is not about being dramatic. It is about protecting everything you have already built.
Please learn from other people’s hard lessons instead of having to learn them yourself.
