We have bought chickens 3 times through hatcheries and have had no problems. But I would like to get some breeds/colors not sold by hatcheries. I'm thinking we are more likely to pick up disease from a breeder's backyard chickens than some inside a hatchery. How safe is this? My daughter has a chicken that she just loves and I don't want to chance bringing something unsafe into the flock. Should I just leave well enough alone and stick with what we have. Is it a big gamble to bring more birds in?