Denim Deb Hay, hay, hay. Thank the Lord!

So, won't the USDA check those "new, left in cage" birds for illness, also? Rare that they leave their nose out of anyting walking if something seems amiss. Of course, that would/could assist. Are they sick?

Auctions are a place to be careful. I've been when an animal coughed and next week many farms had sickies. You never know. That's called isolation at the "visitor center". Isolate before you integrate unless you really, really know the previous owner/farm.
You didn't have the option and I'm so sorry. This sounds like you may lose many, correct? That's bad.
 
I don't think they'll be checking them, but I will point out where they are and how she had them. If she had said something to me B4 bringing them to the farm, I could have set up an area for them where my birds would not have been able to get near them.

Whether or not I lose more is going to depend on what they have. And I may not know what they have for a few weeks! As of right now, no birds are allowed to come onto the farm, nor leave. So, neither KN nor I can sell anything. Nor can I bring birds home. The good thing is, they seem to be recovering. The bad thing is, depending on what they have, they could be carriers. If they're carriers, I cannot sell them. I would be getting eggs come spring, and basically starting all over. I don't want to have to do that, but realize I may have to. So that would mean that they'd have to stay locked up for the rest of their lives. And, I'd have to wear shoes that would only be used when I cared for them.
 
All of my birds are now penned up. It doesn't look like I have any new sick ones, and my broody is about the same. If she's not doing better by tomorrow, I may just let them take her. It would be easier for them to get a diagnoses on a sick, live bird than on a dead one.
 
My one hen is not doing any better. As much as I don't want to lose her, I think for the good of the flock, I may need to sacrifice her. And, 3 of them are out again, so there must be a hole in the mesh. I can get them in easy enough-I just have to throw down some scratch grains. I'll have to find and patch the hole tomorrow. My chickens are staying penned up. They will not get to roam free until I'm able to move them-if I ever am.

I probably won't be on in the morning. I need to be at the farm by 7:00. I need to eat B4 I can leave, and I'll probably do some dishes. Once the USDA leaves, I'll be feeding, then cleaning the field. W/that done, I'll be working on the new chicken pen. I have too big of a slope in one area, so I need to add dirt there. If I get that done, I'll see if I can't redo the fence in the one spot.
 
OK, I have good news. They tested the majority of my birds, but I don't have to destroy any of them! I could even take some to the auction tomorrow I wanted to. Needless to say, I won't do that until everyone is perfectly healthy. I called the other person and asked if she wanted her birds tested, she said yes.

Once this person got there, I had a talk w/her. I did not lose my temper. I told her I wasn't mad. But she now gets it. She did not realize that getting birds at auction could pose so much of a risk. And, she apologized for getting these birds. She also says she won't buy any more birds at auction. I told her that if she decides next year that she wants to buy some birds, I'd sell her some 6-8 week old chicks for cheap.

I don't know how long it will be until I can move my chickens down back. I have 2 that are still quite sick-2 of my broodies. I've brought them home and put them in my greenhouse. W/the weather they're calling for the next couple of days, they're better off in there. The one is really sick. She cannot see at all. As best as I could, I bathed her eyes. And I used a pipet to get some water into her. But I would not be surprised if she didn't last the night. If she doesn't, I'll be burying her pretty deep in my garden.

By the time I got done w/the USDA, cleaning my field and talking to this other person, it was much later than I wanted it to be. But, I was still able to get some work done. I had the fence up in the one section. Only problem being, w/the slope there, the fence wouldn't go right. So, I pulled out the fence posts in that area. Then, I got my post hole digger and dug the holes deeper. Then, I put in 10 ft. posts. When I have the time, I'll be bringing the tractor in and putting more dirt in that area until I'm able to get it all level.

Now I'm home relaxing. It feels so much later than it is. I'm going to relax for a bit, eat dinner, get a shower and maybe go down in front of the fire and read B4 heading to bed. Emotionally, I'm drained.
 
GREAT! Always good when "destroy" is not part of the outcome.

Some people just do not realize the issues with an unknown "group" of animals. I used to attend a lot of shows and a good amount of auctions. Always needed extra measures to try to stay safe. Even the hens I just brought home, lovely girls, from a private yard home, were quarantined for 10 days away from my other hens &/or any area they can range.

I hope your sickiest will pull thru.
 
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