Breeding for Disease Resistance?

[chickens really]

READ MY POST........I explained to you what should be done........?

Cheers!

 

[mirandalola]

Sorry for all of your losses.

A loss of 70% seems abnormally high. How many of the 14 lost were necropsied by an avian pathologist?

-Kathy

Just one. That was how I knew for sure I had MS and MG in my flock. Now that I know the symptoms better I feel confident in my diagnoses.

Also, I got almost all these from one source. I have 8 chicks in a brooder that seem to be quite a bit more hardy, that I got from a different source. And, 4 of the respiratory losses were newbie mistakes: when I first saw symptoms in one chick, I hemmed and hawed and waited and watched; 3 more got sick, and I FINALLY culled those 4. So, those 3 were my fault. Those I felt a lot more sorrow over, than the first one. Also, the coccidiosis losses are the same story: it took me time to figure out what I was dealing with and acquire medication, so some of those would have survived if I had known what I know now.

(From what I know of coccidiosis, it is worth giving medication for when it happens in the brooder, as chicks can't be expected even under the best of circumstances to have the immunity to survive it, and they will have immunity after they've finished their medication.)

 

[casportpony]

What are your plans? I mean are these birds just for eggs that you are going to eat, or are you planning on selling birds and/or eggs?

-Kathy

 

[mirandalola]

The thing is, you have living Birds that were exposed to disease.....They are carriers.....You plan to introduce more birds to the existing flock....Your chances are high to end up again losing Birds to disease....Times of stress will bring on out breaks of what ever disease they carry.....

Culling the entire flock and starting over might be your only option.....Clean your Coop and Run and leave it empty for the proper time that each disease needs to be killed without adding living hosts.....Research each disease to find out how to get rid of it, or if some remain dormant until a host is introduced........


Best of luck.....


Cheers!

I don't necessarily want a flock that doesn't have any diseases, what I want is a flock that doesn't CATCH every disease. I'm free-ranging my chickens, they're going to come in contact with wild birds, and I can't control what diseases those have. So, I don't want my chickens to have a sterile home, I want them to not get sick from the germs they encounter, and I want them to encounter germs so that they can grow that immunity.

Yes, the birds I have are very probably carriers, which is why I cull every single one that shows an outbreak of disease. What I learned with all the losses in my brooder was that not every chicken will catch the disease immediately; some have natural immunity that gives them resistance. Those are the birds I want, and I can only distinguish them if there IS disease exposure.

This will, in theory, lead to a very healthy flock in the future. I was hoping to hear from those who have practiced these methods, that it is actually practical, as science doesn't always lend itself to real life I feel like an adventurer, an explorer, striking out into new and uncharted territory, with little published information to guide me, and I was hoping to connect with anyone else who has successfully bred a disease-resistant flock.

 

[mirandalola]

What are your plans? I mean are these birds just for eggs that you are going to eat, or are you planning on selling birds and/or eggs?

-Kathy

I don't plan on selling birds; selling eggs to eat is an option I want to keep open, but I will have to investigate the laws and regulations before I can. I see no reason why any disease that doesn't render the eggs inedible, would render them unsaleable.

 

[shortgrass]

Just because they don't appear 'sick' ....doesn't mean they are not carrying disease.
Many(most?) birds carry some or multiple diseases, but may not show symptoms and may never if they have otherwise healthy immune systems.

My take is not to treat, they either survive or not.
Breed the best, cull the rest.

X2

Maintaining optimal health naturally, without antibiotics and such is vital to breeding for resistance. Herd immunity can be acquired but to do it without common medicine of today means making sure their maintenance keeps them in optimum condition.

Nature culls my weakest for me. I consider it a part of adapting to their environment. Only the strong survive to pass on their genes and acquired immunity


Eta* if you haven't considered it, check out fermenting your feed. It really helps them get the most from their food, and creates a microbe rich gut flora to help them combat disease and parasites. IMO, a healthy gut is a huge component in keeping immunity up in an animal.

 

[chickens really]

Chickens carry many diseases.....You will never raise a disease free flock.....That is why hatcheries have such strict quarantine and Bio-hazard practices.....Chickens carry disease......

 

[casportpony]

Quote: Selling eggs for eating from a mycoplasma positive flock is fine, but you don't want to sell hatching eggs.

-Kathy

 

[aart]

Quote: Well, it depends on how sick they are.....you'll have to judge for yourself.
IMO if they are eating drinking pooping and active...let them try to heal.

That was the case with my flocks respiratory experience...couple birds had visibly swollen sinuses, goopy eyes, and were flicking their heads and sneezing some...but...they were relatively active and eating/drinking/pooping OK...so I let it go and they healed up. One had a even milder reoccurance but got over it quickly. They both laid funky eggs for months, but that eventually straightened out too. They were culled from flock because of age/stock rotation a year or so later and I found nothing obviously untoward when I slaughtered them, so I stewed them and they were delicious.

 

[mirandalola]

Interestingly enough, these chickens ate fermented feed before they came here. I saw/smelled it myself...