What is your strategy for adding new birds and risk management for Mareks disease

[MaeIstrom]

This query mainly relates to Mareks disease and how important vaccinations are to breeders/buyers of poultry. In my city monitoring poultry adverts it appears that large hatcheries that vaccinate are selling as many birds as they can hatch and breeders who don't are struggling to sell stock and regularly discounting them. A bit surprising given I've met some breeders who are actively against vaccinating in favor of breeding natural resistance or simply find it impossible to get mareks vaccine. So I thought I'd post this poll in the hopes of getting an idea of what the demand for vaccinated vs. unvaccinated is.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I didn't really see an answer that fit for me, so I chose the closest answer, which is the last option. As I only get chicks, the risk is fairly low and so I don't quarantine because of that.

So far all of my chicks have been vaccinated because my feed store orders them that way.

 

[MaeIstrom]

Yeah I'm not exactly happy with the last option but wasn't sure how else to put it although I'm open to suggestions. I chose it myself as I don't have a quarantine pen but I wouldn't go as far as saying I never think/worry about Mareks or other diseases when I'm looking to get more chickens.

As for you rosemarythyme with the possible ommission of the word 'would' I would think you maybe fit more closely into the first option if only because your decision to only buy from 1 feed store has indirectly led to only buying vaccinated chickens and my main motivation in posting this poll is get a rough idea of how much a market there is for backyard breeders selling unvacced birds versus bigger operations where all the birds are vaccinated.

 

[Flockeeperchickens]

I don’t ever vaccinate my chickens against diseases and they came into my living without being vaccinated, about 6 months later I decided that four chickens wasn’t enough and they seemed a bit lonely and would just walk around in twos so I upped it to six, I bought the new 6 from the same poultry yard which recommended to not bother vaccinating so I put them in a wire coop with a wood roof that was about the size of an outdoor dog run with food and water so that the other chickens would be used to having them around and then I let them out two days later. There was afew small little fights to sort out the pecking order but I only had to sort it out once when Hilda my lead chicken at the top of the pecking order almost ripped taloolas crown off

 

[aart]

I mostly hatch from my stock to replace layers.
Have bought local hatching eggs once and farm store chicks a few times.
I do not vaccinate, to my knowledge I do not have Mareks in my flock,
but have had leukosis that was diagnosed via photos and not histology labs.

Is Mareks more common in AU?

 

[Perris]

I bought in pullets to start my flock 4 years ago, and have since bought in a few more at just feathered stage (so they haven't been outside where they were bred), and have bought hatching eggs, and have let my girls hatch a handful of their own. I don't think the bought-ins were vaccinated, and I have deliberately chosen breeds noted for their disease resistance and free-ranging abilities. I've got stricter on biosecurity as time has gone on, and now that I have experience with broodies I much prefer hatching eggs, But that only works if I can get the breeds I'd like when one of my hens goes broody (a very hit and miss exercise!) I am now also very careful with footwear hygiene if I go to a show or a breeder's place. It is not just birds that can carry diseases - mud on our boots can too!

 

[sdm111]

Nothing here. I let them make themselves resistant. Know who you get stuff from

 

[EggSighted4Life]

In my city monitoring poultry adverts it appears that large hatcheries that vaccinate are selling as many birds as they can hatch and breeders who don't are struggling to sell stock and regularly discounting them.

One major difference between hatcheries and breeders that I can see is the ability to sex their birds... most breeders cannot do that. Also hatcheries are usually offering a much larger variety to select from with more reliable hatch dates.

As a private breeder... Marek's vaccinated birds NOT welcome here to hide the disease IF it pops up.

I personally only buy incubator hatched CHICKS from NPIP sellers (folks who submit their flock for certain test and agree to abide by certain biosecurity guidelines) and I never ever bring in birds that have ever been to someone else's pasture. I'm also considering NOT buying from feed stores EVER again... as some of my LFS... take chicks in from local sellers or accept roosters back... In addition to the hoards of folks who already have livestock and hanging around the chick bins at TSC with who knows what kind of dander etc falling off their clothes.

Honestly I don't consider Marek's the worst thing that come into a flock and far fear respiratory type diseases or salmonella which CAN pass through to the eggs.

For what it's worth... the majority of feed store chicks in the US are NOT vaccinated. Only a few hatcheries vaccinate every chicks unless specified otherwise. Most do not as it's an added expense.

Also... large hatcheries tend to have widespread notoriety... that is they are well known while breeders are operating more by word of mouth. To me the issue of hatcheries selling out and breeders struggling has more to do with other things I have mentioned than anything to do with Marek's vaccine. However, I do feel as though Marek's is a bit fear mongered and educating folks could go a long way to stopping it from proliferating.

As a "breeder", I have set myself apart by breeding for quality. I do NOT vaccinate birds... and when breeding popular varieties like French Black Copper Marans or Silkies... could sell them ALL day long as fast as I could hatch. When narrowing down to the breed I love (bantam Ameraucana)... not as popular, less buyers... but my payoff is MORE rewarding than a few dollars. Please note that when selling Marans or Silkies... I sold them for not less than $10 each straight run back then... which for the Silkies is almost double what any of hatcheries are selling them for. So with the right breed selection, I could sell circles around "hatchery" birds, using only word of mouth and Craigslist. But if back yard breeders aren't selecting heavily to meet their breed standard, then their birds are nothing special and I would rather go with unvaccinated hatchery birds and reduce my chance of parasites or disease. Some hatcheries here that vaccinate all, offer the option to opt out of vaccinating when ordering directly from them.

The difference between breeders who are against vaccinating for Marek's for personal flock (show requirements may be different) and hatcheries... is that most actual breeders care about furthering the breed they're passionately working on. Hatcheries... care about furthering their bottom line and not longevity or true hardiness of the many breeds they SELL.

I know another BYC'er who has some vaccinated and some unvaccinated birds and considers the unvaccinated ones to be the canary in the coal mine so to speak.

I voted only non vaccinated birds for your poll... but elaborated some more because that just isn't quite detailed enough for my brain. Hope it gives you some things to consider!

Are you working with a breed?

 

[Folly's place]

I'm one of the people who has hatchery chicks vaccinated against Marek's disease, and home hatched chicks not vaccinated, and so far no Marek's disease here.
I am very careful about biosecurity, and never bring in outside birds, except those hatchery chicks, from good sources. I also have no close neighbors who have 'random source' chickens. So, having a healthy flock is a big priority for me, and luck does play a role in keeping it that way.
Marek's disease doesn't kill every bird, but certainly impacts flock health, and the ability to send birds to other flocks, but it's there for a very long time.
Other contagious chicken diseases, like MG, for example, can be eliminated by killing every bird at the farm, cleaning, and starting over weeks later with clean stock. Otherwise, it's nursing sickly birds who are contagious, and need antibiotics often. I would cry a lot if it hits here, and cull. And then cry some more...
Back to Marek's disease: if present in the flock, then if chickens still seem like a good idea, it's either ordering and isolating vaccinated chicks to help them avoid the tumors, or breeding within the existing flock, birds who don't appear sick, culling the sick offspring, and hopefully having an infected flock of individuals who manage pretty well. And again, are contagious.
Mary

 

[CatWhisperer]

I had 2 Onagadori pullets die from Mareks in December. I never worried about the disease before this because I only bought day old chicks onto my property and practice good biosecurity. Because these were the only birds to expire I suspect the disease came with them from the breeder in California who did offer the option of vaccination. I am hatching eggs of my own now-first timer and due to hatch tomorrow-and I intend to vaccinate. I will vaccinate anything that enters my flock from now on as I don’t believe it can ever be cleared from the area I keep my chickens. I deplore breeders who know they’ve had the disease yet continue to sell chicks/birds anyways.