[Simon O]

Any thoughts on the following? ---
If you keep a 'closed flock' ie only incubate eggs and do not bring in any live chickens, and if you are using housing not used by chickens before, and land that has not had chickens on it within at least the last several years, can you be confident that you will not get problems such as red mite and scaly leg. Or are these potentially passed on through the wild bird population or by other means of transmission.
Presumably dayolds (unless hygiene is poor) should also be free of infestation.
Simon

[TheCaptain]

Red mite, I believe, can be caught from wild birds so places where the chooks like to dust bathe are probably the same areas where wild birds wish to do the same so may be an area of cross-contamination.

[SallyintNorth]

I think I once heard that rats can bring red mite?

I do know that the closed flock approach will work to keep scaly leg away - friends of mine burnt all their contaminated housing and started again, only ever buying hatching eggs, and stayed scaly-leg free.  I don't know whether they still had to treat for red mite.

[fifixx]

Red mite comes to me on the beastly Jackdaws who seem to think they are entitled to eat, drink and be merry at my chickens expense!!

[SallyintNorth]

Jackdaws who seem to think they are entitled to eat, drink and be merry at my chickens expense!!

and they also eat the lambs' food, the calves' food, the pig's food - my 4 resident jacks know my routine and are waiting for me on the nearest fences as I go around doing my morning feed.  I can foil them every now and again by feeding in a different order - but it only buys a few seconds; they know the sounds of each animal getting fed too well! 

[Womble]

Well, it's got to help.  However, our hens definitely picked up both red mite and feather mite / louse a couple of years ago through fraternizing with the local pheasant population  .