How do you sell your birds and still enforce Bio Security?

[Germaine_11.20]

Hi, I put an ad on Craigslist and have alot of people who want to come see them. If I were buying birds from someone I would want to see them too and where they live to see if everything is clean and healthy.

But I am worried about Bio Security. There are diseases I don't want brought in to my flock and people don't always realize that they carry something on them.

What do you do?

 

[Olive Hill]

Two options here. 1) Have a concrete receiving area where people can view birds they intend to purchase without walking about the rest of your property. When they've left you can disinfect the concrete receiving area. 2) Meet the people off site, show the birds and their living quarters via pictures and video before the sale.

Besides bio security having people from craigslist to your home is just a plain old security issue. A BYC member here in MI was robbed after selling birds out of her home to people on craigslist.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Oh good heavens! Wow.... most of them want to come and "see the pretty birds"

I do have a concrete driveway and I could cage and pen the ones to be shown. But robbery? Now I am thinking about the Craigslist murderer too. Forgot about that one...

Thank you!

 

[cpartist]

I too am super concerned about biosecurity, but feel people should be able to see my breeders.
I am so concerned about illness after reading so many stories on here about diseases brought in from
birds not quarantined that I've decided not to show my chickens, go to swaps or add any birds other than chicks (once, separated for a month).
I keep a closed flock, replenishing with only hatching eggs.

What I do is when people come out to buy chicks or eggs I request they wear shoes and clothes that have not
been exposed to poultry. Mine are all penned, in addition, and no one enters my pens but me.
I've found no one is offended by this request, and is happy to comply.
That I'm concerned about biosecurity is reassuring when they are buying from me.

This is not a totally risk free way to assure no exposure, as it relies on the honor system. No matter how careful you are you still
risk some exposure from wild birds, and some diseases can be transmitted through hatching eggs...probably most dangerous is wearing
the same shoes you wear to the feed store into your chicken yard.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

cpartist, thank you. I am feeling pretty dumb right now because I wear the same shoes and clothes to the coop that I do to the feed store.

How long can something like that stay living and on a person? Isn't there some limit to the diseases life cycle? Is there a site that says how long the spores can live in a hostile environment?

 

[elmo]

Here's a good link:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/birdbiosecurity/biosecurity/basicsprotect.htm

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Thanks Elmo!!!! I will read it.

 

[WalkingWolf]

It is more than bio security you need to worry about but also personal security. There are to many burglaries and robberies happening that start out with a CL ad.

 

[ranchhand]

Wolf is correct. I always try to schedule for when someone else is here, preferably DH. And I always have pepper spray in my pocket and a .38 hidden nearby. I keep a cordless phone on hand as well.

As for biosecurity:

I ask them to wear their non-chicken clothing and shoes. If they ask why, it's a good time to educate them about the disease transfer issues.

I don't sell chicks and I do not sell birds of any sort to someone who is clueless. Nor will I sell to someone is is just going to run by the feed store or by the auction on their way here.

The birds to be sold are caged and 1/4 acre away when they get here. The cage gets a thorough cleaning after I transfer the birds to the cages they have brought. (I don't "loan" out cages anymore.)

Any bird I sell is on a one-way ticket. No returns.

My birds are all penned. If someone proves to me that they are a reputable and respectful chicken owner I might eventually let them see where I raise them. From a distance, and no one ever enters the pens.

By the way, Speckledhen is an expert on biosecurity. Let's hope she chimes in.

 

[sotelomary]

I just went on a chicken coop tour. Every home had a towel wet with bleach that you had to step on before you entered their yard. Of course, we were not allowed to go inside the run. I always made sure that I stepped on the towel on my way out also. I'm hoping that the bleach was helpful.

Mary