Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[thedragonlady]

OMG that's so sweet

No, it is not sweet. It is breeding behavior that will end up with that cockerel being mean. He has to understand that his favorite human is not a chicken.

 

[alibra]

No, it is not sweet. It is breeding behavior that will end up with that cockerel being mean. He has to understand that his favorite human is not a chicken.

It's sweet.... In the moment..... haha

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Okay, as long as we're talking Continental, here is my other major project in the section. I just love them.

Sweet! Give us the history of your line.

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: Which you use depends on the needs of the flock. Many breeders use different methods at different times depending on what their flock needs.
Best,
Karen

 

[Pozees]

I have a question. I have been driving myself crazy reading this, that and the other thread about Marek's, reading the page from the University of New Hampshire saying it is everywhere, that if you have an adult flock it has been exposed and your birds are either naturally immune or vaccinated immune, and I have read a few other pages with information about Marek's.

I have seen repeated several times here on BYC (no where else) that if you have had a bird with Marek's you should never sell eggs or chicks. I have read that the disease is not vertical - that it is not transmitted to any eggs laid, and that chicks may have natural immunities from their parents from 3 days to 4 weeks post hatch.

I have read that the vaccine one can purchase is live vaccine but that it is not live chicken Marek's vaccine, it is live Turkey Marek's, so even if the live vaccine is shed it cannot harm chickens.

I have read that no matter what, all chicks should be vaccinated against it, and read that declining to vaccinate (as I know many here do) eventually results in a flock that is naturally immune to the disease.

Most of this I can make sense of; what I cannot wrap my head around is, if Marek's is everywhere, then why would anyone believe it wrong to sell chicks from a flock which once had a member succumb to the disease? If anything, I would think the surviving members of the flock would have immunities they are passing along to their get. Am I missing something important here?

Thanks for any insights you provide.

Judi

 

[thedragonlady]

Which you use depends on the needs of the flock. Many breeders use different methods at different times depending on what their flock needs.
Best,
Karen

Experienced breeders, who have bred for a number of years tend to breed one bird to another, regardless of pedigree. It is a very freeing idea compared to the constraints of breeding other livestock, but one must always keep in mind relationships within the flock so as not to breed oneself into a corner.

 

[BGMatt]

I have a question.  I have been driving myself crazy reading this, that and the other thread about Marek's, reading the page from the University of New Hampshire saying it is everywhere, that if you have an adult flock it has been exposed and your birds are either naturally immune or vaccinated immune, and I have read a few other pages with information about Marek's. 

I have seen repeated several times here on BYC (no where else) that if you have had a bird with Marek's you should never sell eggs or chicks.  I have read that the disease is not vertical - that it is not transmitted to any eggs laid, and that chicks may have natural immunities from their parents from 3 days to 4 weeks post hatch. 

I have read that the vaccine one can purchase is live vaccine but that it is not live chicken Marek's vaccine, it is live Turkey Marek's, so even if the live vaccine is shed it cannot harm chickens. 

I have read that no matter what, all chicks should be vaccinated against it, and read that declining to vaccinate (as I know many here do) eventually results in a flock that is naturally immune to the disease.

Most of this I can make sense of; what I cannot wrap my head around is, if Marek's is everywhere, then why would anyone believe it wrong to sell chicks from a flock which once had a member succumb to the disease?  If anything, I would think the surviving members of the flock would have immunities they are passing along to their get.  Am I missing something important here?

Thanks for any insights you provide.

Judi

Marek's is everywhere. Everyone has it, vaccinated or not. It's just a fact of raising poultry. The people who are saying you should never sell or buy birds, chicks, eggs from someone who have Marek's are ill informed and flat out wrong. Some birds and strains are more susceptible than others.

I personally do not believe in vaccinating because I have seen it result in weaker overall stock in both my 20 years in poultry personally and in many other flocks.

 

[BGMatt]

Rotational, Line, Rotational Line, Pen Breeding.  Sometimes a breeding pattern is recommended based on whether you get pairs, triplets, 2 triplets, or what breed of bird you get.  White Rock breeding vs Minorca breeding.

How do we beginners know which pattern will work best for us?  Will these breeding patterns bring out the best in any breed?  Or are they good guidelines that help beginners develop an eye and keep us from deteriorating before we start a custom breeding program?

Do pro and experienced breeders use line, rotational and pen breeding or customize based on the characteristics and breed?  Bob, I believe I've read where you've used line and pen breeding in the past, do you still?

Are there typical breeding patterns for every breed?

Still trying to figure some things out before starting SOP breeding. 

colburg

Expanding on what others have said it really does depend on the situation. If its a popular breed and variety I would use a line breeding plan that takes a really good cock bird and breeds him to his daughters every generation because that way you really narrow down your results, however it's got probably a 5 year lifespan as a breeding plan before you have to start again. There are a lot of other short term breeding plans you can use when dealing with popular breeds and varieties because you can easily bring in new blood and such.

If you're working with a rare breed or variety I think rotational clan breeding works well because it keeps a larger more diverse genetic base and does not require introduction of new blood as often, it also lets you grade the birds up to a higher overall level of quality easier in my mind.

 

[lawatt]

I have ten of Deb's silvers' eggs that will be hatching in 4 or 5 days -- plus two pullets i got from Die Fly Ranch (Shannon) when she decided to narrow down the number of breeds she's working with -- they were her last two, and they're gorgeous:




this photo was taken about a month ago, their heads & necks have gotten more solidly white since then. i'm in love with them.

took some updated photos today -- here are the silver campines, probably about 5 months old now?


anna


elsa & anna


one of them grabbing something delicious

 

[Matt1616]

I have a question.  I have been driving myself crazy reading this, that and the other thread about Marek's, reading the page from the University of New Hampshire saying it is everywhere, that if you have an adult flock it has been exposed and your birds are either naturally immune or vaccinated immune, and I have read a few other pages with information about Marek's. 

I have seen repeated several times here on BYC (no where else) that if you have had a bird with Marek's you should never sell eggs or chicks.  I have read that the disease is not vertical - that it is not transmitted to any eggs laid, and that chicks may have natural immunities from their parents from 3 days to 4 weeks post hatch. 

I have read that the vaccine one can purchase is live vaccine but that it is not live chicken Marek's vaccine, it is live Turkey Marek's, so even if the live vaccine is shed it cannot harm chickens. 

I have read that no matter what, all chicks should be vaccinated against it, and read that declining to vaccinate (as I know many here do) eventually results in a flock that is naturally immune to the disease.

Most of this I can make sense of; what I cannot wrap my head around is, if Marek's is everywhere, then why would anyone believe it wrong to sell chicks from a flock which once had a member succumb to the disease?  If anything, I would think the surviving members of the flock would have immunities they are passing along to their get.  Am I missing something important here?

Thanks for any insights you provide.

Judi

Good post BGMatt... There is a tremendous amount of misinformation on this site when it comes to illnesses in chickens.