What is your QT process?
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Jeff
- Pip
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:52 pm
What is your QT process?
What QT process do you go through for new birds? Also what regular treatments do you do?
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Crystal
- Brooding
- Posts: 1331
- Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 2:27 pm
- Location: Richmond, VA
- Contact:
Quarantine should last at least 6-8 weeks.
It should involve keeping the new birds completely separate from the established ones--preferably the new birds should be quarantined in an area with a separate air source, etc.. Always provide for the old birds first (food, water, etc.) and the new birds last, and never go back and forth between new and established birds. Don't allow new and established birds to share feeding dishes and try to avoid using the same sponge to wash items which belong to the birds in quarantine and items which belong to the established birds. Wash your hands after feeding/etc. the new birds. Do not dip their seed dish into the bag of seed, etc. In other words, practice strict hygiene. You need to think about all of the different ways 'germs' can be carried from potentially sick birds to your presumably health birds, and try to avoid allowing any type of cross contamination to occur.
During quarantine, new birds should be treated for external and internal parasites including protozoa and coccidia (I treat mine with worm-out, ronivet s, coccivet, and SCATT).
Treat for one thing at a time, and follow the instructions on the label.
Do not use prophylactic antibiotics. In fact, only use antibiotics under the supervision of your avian veterinarian.
Other things I try to do during the quarantine period is introduce my new birds to the pelleted diet I have my established birds on. Offering it to them day after day will help them to recongize it as a food source. I also offer boiled egg (some birds don't realize it's food at first).
Aside from this, the only other thing I do is just monitor them and their droppings for signs of illness so that I can take action if need be.
Most of my birds are housed indoors only (and therefore are not really exposed to much), and the pair I have outdoors is is a screened in cage which has been treated with "bird safe" insecticide, so I am not too worried about regular treatments with medications. I would consider treating my outdoor birds regularly for coccidia during the rainy months if I saw any signs of weight loss. If my birds were not in such a "bug proof" enclosure, I would periodically treat for worms, coccidia, protozoa, and mites.
It should involve keeping the new birds completely separate from the established ones--preferably the new birds should be quarantined in an area with a separate air source, etc.. Always provide for the old birds first (food, water, etc.) and the new birds last, and never go back and forth between new and established birds. Don't allow new and established birds to share feeding dishes and try to avoid using the same sponge to wash items which belong to the birds in quarantine and items which belong to the established birds. Wash your hands after feeding/etc. the new birds. Do not dip their seed dish into the bag of seed, etc. In other words, practice strict hygiene. You need to think about all of the different ways 'germs' can be carried from potentially sick birds to your presumably health birds, and try to avoid allowing any type of cross contamination to occur.
During quarantine, new birds should be treated for external and internal parasites including protozoa and coccidia (I treat mine with worm-out, ronivet s, coccivet, and SCATT).
Treat for one thing at a time, and follow the instructions on the label.
Do not use prophylactic antibiotics. In fact, only use antibiotics under the supervision of your avian veterinarian.
Other things I try to do during the quarantine period is introduce my new birds to the pelleted diet I have my established birds on. Offering it to them day after day will help them to recongize it as a food source. I also offer boiled egg (some birds don't realize it's food at first).
Aside from this, the only other thing I do is just monitor them and their droppings for signs of illness so that I can take action if need be.
Most of my birds are housed indoors only (and therefore are not really exposed to much), and the pair I have outdoors is is a screened in cage which has been treated with "bird safe" insecticide, so I am not too worried about regular treatments with medications. I would consider treating my outdoor birds regularly for coccidia during the rainy months if I saw any signs of weight loss. If my birds were not in such a "bug proof" enclosure, I would periodically treat for worms, coccidia, protozoa, and mites.
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zookeeper
- Flirty Bird
- Posts: 223
- Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:16 pm
- Location: West Allis, Wisconsin, USA
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