BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[NanaKat]

 

I agree I'm not sure why the goal for home grown chicken has to be a humongous turkey sized bird. I'm leaning towards smaller is better (who wants to eat the same chicken all week?)  and I've been wondering if crossing bantam to standard cornish might be an idea. Or bantam cornish over dorking............

Heritage Cornish/Indian Game was a very popular cross in Britain and America prior to the CornishX era.  The Indian Game was crossed over many breeds to improve breast quality in the offspring of hens who laid more eggs.....

....I've been focussing my reading on books from before 1950 and authors who worked with dual purpose breeds, so my information is dated.  But in fairness I believe those were the people who knew these breeds best.   Another tidbit I've gleaned from my study is that dual purpose birds were more selectively bread for their meat qualities back then, so that while you see a scrawny looking carcass today on a Barred Rock or Wyandotte, many of Another tidbit I've gleaned from my study is that dual purpose birds were more selectively bread for their meat qualities back then, so that while you see a scrawny looking carcass today on a Barred Rock or Wyandotte, many of those birds produced a significantly prettier carcass with a fuller breast than to same breeds do today.

My Wyandotte flock provide me with nice sized birds for the freezer.

 

[lpatelski]

I would not be surprised if the days of free ranged backyard flocks are drawing to a close.

http://agr.georgia.gov/Data/Sites/1...al_health/files/AI/HPAI-GA-Letter-1-15-16.pdf
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2016/01/19/395340.htm
http://www.in.gov/boah/2390.htm

Just this week the state of GA sent out a notice to all poultry producers that have free range flocks or flocks that have access to the outdoors - they have been ordered to get their flocks inside into "biosecure" facilities because of the new AI found in Indiana. Granted, the producers that put the words *free range* and *pastured* on their products often are still over crowded and while the birds have a door to the outdoors, it doesn't mean that they actually go outside, but still, the idea that the state veterinarian has ordered these people to put their birds inside a building because they are afraid of AI being found in their state, does not bode well for small flock keepers. Makes it hard to figure out your breeding plan to improve your birds and grow your own meat when the government is doing everything it can to try to force folks out of keeping chickens if they can't keep their birds in a sterile environment.

Bio secure is not necessarily sterile. It is the act of keeping wildlife/vermin and people who travel to other farms away from your birds.
Buying birds and throwing them into your flock without quarantine is a major NO-NO!
Coop tours and poultry shows are scary for me to even think of! Show me pictures I am happy.
I showed dogs - I vaccinated my dogs for everything.
They don't sell small dose vials of chicken vaccine, only 1,000 bird doses.

 

[bnjrob]

@bnjrob is there any info or statistics on how many backyard flocks have had AI?
I think I heard of one last yr. Wondering if there's more. All I ever hear is biosecure 'sterile' facilities getting nailed with it.

I never found info that had solid numbers on how many backyard flocks had it. But a lot of what was going on was kept hush hush. I know for sure that there was a couple of small flocks mentioned up in the Pacific Northwest last year, and a couple in the South that had received chicks from a suspect hatchery. The problem that I have with how they were doing things was some that in some places they were setting up their quarantine radius and they were killing everything within the radius and not waiting for actual testing to see if they were infected. That is what is most worrisome, because they are doing it to protect the commercial poultry interests and small flocks be ******. They still have never figured out exactly how the stupid virus was being transmitted, every theory had a hole in it and they were grasping at straws. I was reading stuff put out by the USDA as well as veterinary information coming from my husband's communications, and veterinarians were telling the USDA that they were wrong about things but the USDA was not listening to them. Then the USDA started wanting to stockpile vaccines for the commercial poultry producers to use but now scientists have told them that it is a waste of money to do so and vaccines are likely to be ineffective. With Big Ag money holders in bed with the government, doubtful that we will ever get a truthful answer out of any of them.

 

[bnjrob]

My thoughts and prayers go out to those who are fighting against the H7N8 disease in Indiana. They just lost everything.

My birds are in, and I plan on screening tighter to keep out the sparrows. I have only seen one bird go through my coop - once. My birds screamed and frightened it so bad it never came back. I have always worked at bio secure farms. Shower in type for pigs - 1,500 sow unit/230 sow unit/630 sow unit. I have seen viral diseases take hold and rock a farm to it's knees.

If we can keep our birds from being taken and slaughtered just because our neighbor's farm has an outbreak we will all be doing well.

Quote:
You're right, the literal meaning of *sterile* is not the same as biosecure. I did not use the term in the literal sense.

 

[lpatelski]

I never found info that had solid numbers on how many backyard flocks had it. But a lot of what was going on was kept hush hush. I know for sure that there was a couple of small flocks mentioned up in the Pacific Northwest last year, and a couple in the South that had received chicks from a suspect hatchery. The problem that I have with how they were doing things was some that in some places they were setting up their quarantine radius and they were killing everything within the radius and not waiting for actual testing to see if they were infected. That is what is most worrisome, because they are doing it to protect the commercial poultry interests and small flocks be ******. They still have never figured out exactly how the stupid virus was being transmitted, every theory had a hole in it and they were grasping at straws. I was reading stuff put out by the USDA as well as veterinary information coming from my husband's communications, and veterinarians were telling the USDA that they were wrong about things but the USDA was not listening to them. Then the USDA started wanting to stockpile vaccines for the commercial poultry producers to use but now scientists have told them that it is a waste of money to do so and vaccines are likely to be ineffective. With Big Ag money holders in bed with the government, doubtful that we will ever get a truthful answer out of any of them.

state

county

Premise type

Number in flock

Date tested

AI strain
IA

O’BRIEN

BACKYARD

UNAVAILABLE

5/6/2015

H5N2
IA

Osceola

Backyard

unavailable

5/12/2015

H5N2
IA

SIOUX

BACKYARD

UNAVAILABLE

5/14/2015

H5N2
IA

SIOUX

BACKYARD

UNAVAILABLE

5/19/2015

H5N2
IA

SIOUX

BACKYARD

UNAVAILABLE

5/20/2015

H5N2
IA

SIOUX

BACKYARD

2,500

6/9/2015

H5N2
ID

Canyon

BACKYARD

30

1/16/2015

H5N2
IN

Whitley

BACKYARD

UNAVAILABLE

5/10/2015

H5N8
KS

Leavenworth

BACKYARD

10

3/13/2015

H5N2
MN

PIPESTONE

BACKYARD

150

4/22/2015

H5N2
MO

LEWIS

BACKYARD

POND FLOCK

5/5/2015

H5N2
MT

JUDITH BASIN

BACKYARD

40

4/2/2015

H5N2
NE

DIXON

BACKYARD

UNAVAILABLE

6/4/2015

H5N2
OR

DESCHUTES

BACKYARD

70

2/17/2015

H5N2
OR

DOUGLAS

BACKYARD

130

12/19/2015

H5N8
WA

BENTON

BACKYARD

140

1/3/2015

H5N2
WA

BENTON

BACKYARD

590

1/9/2015

H5N2
WA

CLALLAM

BACKYARD

110

1/16/2015

H5N2
WA

OKANOGAN

GAME BIRD

5,830

1/29/2015

H5N2
WA

OKANOGAN

BACKYARD

40

2/3/2015

H5N2
WI

JUNEAU

BACKYARD

33

4/17/2015

H5N2
DOUGLAS OREGON 12/19/2015 FLOCK OF 130 WAS THE LAST BACKYARD REPORTED.

Sorry I meant to post the link...

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_h...ownloads/hpai-positive-premises-2014-2015.pdf

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus, H7N8, was identified on a commercial poultry farm in Dubois County, Indiana.
Low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H7N8 was also identified.
This is the first time H7N8 viruses have been found in birds in the United States. When infected flocks are identified, the birds are quarantined, and any exposed birds are depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.

What is avian influenza?
Avian influenza refers to the disease caused by infection with avian (bird) influenza Type A viruses. These viruses occur naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species.

How is H7N8 spread?
Avian influenza viruses are spread through direct contact with infected birds or their waste, including contaminated bedding, feed or water. Infected birds shed the virus in their saliva, mucous and feces.

Does your feed mill or feed store have Bio Security? Or do they have birds flying around leaving droppings on the bags?

 

[bnjrob]

Quote:
Interesting. Where did this come from?

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Apologies, but I can't seem to recall where I saw it/who posted it - can anyone suggest where I can find large Silkies?

- Ant Farm

 

[jbkirk]

Apologies, but I can't seem to recall where I saw it/who posted it - can anyone suggest where I can find large Silkies?

- Ant Farm

You could look on the Texas thread.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

You could look on the Texas thread.

Har, har...

I thought someone said someone in California had big Silkies - just couldn't remember who and what thread - thought it was here.

- Ant Farm

 

[Kassaundra]

Har, har...

I thought someone said someone in California had big Silkies - just couldn't remember who and what thread - thought it was here.

- Ant Farm

I remember a lady who had large silkies, I can't remember her byc name, I think I may have pm'ed her some time back not sure if I still have the pm. I think she was from somewhere north central though.