With all the talk of "biosecurity" an all, how often do you bring in birds from an outside flock? Swaps and auctions seem popular, but it's been something I have been leery about since getting chickens - pretty much I have only gotten them from one feed store that doesn't have access for people to handle them much (unlike the open tubs at other places they are in actual enclosed cages) and my one friend's house b/c she raised my first two batches of chicks for me since I had a newborn both times. I found this ad on craigslist (they have a few so I assume them to be a breeder of some form, I'm actually wondering if it's where my other friend gets her BLRWs from) and am really tempted to finish out my flock for next year without dealing with shipping from a hatchery in the middle of summer! (not to mention the price is right, and we would get a few birds to eat out of the deal as well seeing they are straight run)
http://greensboro.craigslist.org/grd/3132171202.html
As long as they are "quarantined" for a certain amount of time (how long?) I should be OK, right? I can help the new ones build up immunity to anything my current ones possibly have by adding dirt to the brooder early on, correct?
Maybe it is just the picture, but that male in the ad looks like it has scaly leg mites.
Walt