http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll...94/0/FRONTPAGE
Posted the link at the top for anyone who wants to read it on the site, but if you don't feel like changing sites i copy and pasted the article down at the bottom.


Highly contagious diseases shut down chicken swaps


By JENNIFER KEEFE
Sunday, June 9, 2013

Article: These regulations are for the birds

DOVER — With any animal people raise in their homes, there are always diseases and other health issues that ones hopes can be prevented.

And the same goes for backyard chickens.

Recently, chicken swaps in the state were voluntarily suspended due to the spread of two avian diseases, mycoplasma gallisepticum, or MG, a respiratory illness, and mycoplasma synoviae, or MS, which affects joints.

While these highly contagious diseases aren't harmful to humans, or any other non-bird species, they are deadly to birds. The diseases have been detected among the chicken population in the state due in part to the swapping of baby and adult chickens among breeders and others interested in chicken keeping.

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