Avian sarcoma leukosis/diseases of commercial stock in backyard flocks

[ivan3]

Resolution wrote: Just found this bit of sad news .

Take heart. Have been following the `bags on the rocker tables' recombinant vaccine production tech for a while (right now the focus is on lowest possible cost, i.e., 1-5 cents per dose).

Original success at U. of Pittsburgh's Vector lab in 2006: http://www.upmc.com/MediaRelations/NewsReleases/2006/Pages/GambottoAvianFluStudy2006.aspx

Detailed summary of current status of ongoing tweaking (on this particular line of work) by Gambotto, et al: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2944471/​

 

[Resolution]

Quote:
Take heart. Have been following the `bags on the rocker tables' recombinant vaccine production tech for a while (right now the focus is on lowest possible cost, i.e., 1-5 cents per dose).

Original success at U. of Pittsburgh's Vector lab in 2006: http://www.upmc.com/MediaRelations/NewsReleases/2006/Pages/GambottoAvianFluStudy2006.aspx

Detailed summary of current status of ongoing tweaking (on this particular line of work) by Gambotto, et al: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2944471/



That's very intriguing.

 

[ChooksChick]

I think it's crucial to obtain stock from known sellers. I don't have a lot of faith in hatcheries, because they contract out most of the production- who knows who produced the birds your friend got? Just because the hatchery hatched them gives no assurance of the keeping of the parent stock. I've been working on my own slate-legged, fast-growing, ranging, low-combed, dual-purpose naturally-reproducing breed with a high Cornish content. This won't be ready to process in 6 weeks, but we're getting the table-sized age down consistently.

I KNOW my stock is clean and will be able to sell eggs/chicks to others within certain limits when my flock is ready. Unfortunately, this smaller scale or personal sale may be the best way for people to manage until vaccines are readily available so that we can require them from the hatchery the way we can demand the Mareks vaccine. This is also not necessarily going to be an $.89 chick, so it may not be as affordable as the CX from hatcheries...but that's just the starting cost. The net profit may be greater due to lack of losses.

I practice biosecurity with paranoia. I have net-covered runs...and that's a lot of netting, lemme tell you!! Wild birds can get in through the sides, but that's not likely because the barn cats are voracious. I utilize raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar to keep the pH of my water inhospitable for horizontal cross-contamination. I clean with Oxine. It's absolutely important to me that my flocks get to be out in the tall grasses and the woods, so they do get to free range a bit more than the roomy runs; I'm not concerned about transient birds all that much...but some.

I encourage local purchases and I encourage the buyer asking to see the facility. I'll let folks see my place if I feel okay about it...from across a small field. There will be no traffic into my area. I did let one local BYCer visit, but she had to put on a pair of my boots and keep her hands in her pockets. I was out of hazmat suits that day