- Jul 21, 2013
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That is a Rosecomb bantam hen. Is she friendly at all? I would judge by her quality and the fact that she has a legband that she flew the coop, so to speak, so you might want to ask your friend if she knows of anyone in the area with chickens before you take her. I would also suggest you take precautions such as quarantine as Sally suggested, but closer to 4 weeks to be safe.
The unfortunate thing about having such a small flock is that you cannot safely do the 'canary in the mineshaft' method of quarantine where you put one of your birds in quarantine with her. The danger is that she will be an asymptomatic carrier of something and you won't know until you introduce her to your flock. Just be very careful and if you see ANYTHING to be concerned about (sneezing, itching, watery or oozy eyes, etc.), take some time to think about what you're going to do next.
My friend did walk around her neighborhood looking for anyone with chickens. I will quarantine her for 4 weeks. I really don't know that I have use for a rosecomb bantam, but maybe she'll be happy free-ranging with my small flock once the quarantine is over. Thanks for all the help and advice!