BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[AnthNDacula]

Now, that's scary. What's next?. On a bright note, going out looking tomorrow for a piece of land to build my farm.

Do ducks get AI?

Yes. Ducks can get AI

 

[Beekissed]

Perhaps I didn't clarify myself.

@Beekissed agree with you entirely. ..Wild birds, far ranging ducks and geese, always been here, never any problems.
@Fire Ant Farm I think I'm already doing what you suggest.
My birds sure as heck are not in a "sterile environment" neither are our children Lol! Sure ain't raising 'bubble boy' kids!
I just mean I will not introduce any poultry onto our property unless I know they are from a disease free flock.
There's many diseases to be worried about, some of them just as devastating as AI.

Beer, that's the beauty of having a strong flock....you don't have to worry about outside influences to your flock. I bring in birds from all kinds of sources and no quarantine period needed. Strong immune systems on birds are much like strong immune systems on nurses....we are exposed to every possible pathogen out there but rarely, if ever, contract the disease...and that's not because we use good hand washing, because most do not. Exposing a strong person to pathogens gives them a chance to create antibodies for a wide range of illnesses, the more the better.

Same goes for your birds...instead of isolating them from other flocks and birds for fear of getting disease, exposing strong animals to possible disease vectors is part of building a stronger flock. Bringing in those outside birds can tell you where you need work in your flock's immune system, if necessary. It can also tell if the bird you just brought in is a strong bird, when it is exposed to the existing germs in your own flock and does fine with them.

No, I don't deliberately go out and get diseased birds to expose my flock to, but neither do I even give a pause about bringing in visually healthy birds right into it. I'm confident in my flock's abilities to withstand disease vectors by now and gladly welcome the proof of those hardy immune systems by the seamless integration of new stock.

No need for fear when you've built strong. If, after that, you still get a disease in your flock, you'll know it's time to either go back to basics and build stronger or hang up the feeders and close up shop.

 

[AnthNDacula]

Pathogens and predators.

I feel that the best we can hope for is balance. Healthy ecosystems from top to bottom will not eliminate problems but should mitigate them and keep them manageable.

This is a really important point. I have lost an entire flock to disease but only once in nearly 50 years of chicken keeping. I took a year break to let nature clean things up and started over. Now I cull anything that hints of sickness instantly.

I also live in close proximity to many (translate millions

) of raccoons, and possums. Additionally a local, mother coyote raises pups here most years and sometimes brings them into my yard to howl at the moon... great entertainment for us and the dogs. The only true vermin are the neighbors dogs. Any one of them can kill as much livestock as all the wild critters put together. Those pets become garden fertilizer. I've got German Shepherd flavored tomatoes, Pekingese flavored squash and am wondering how Pit Bull goes with spinach. I'll find out the next time I find one in my pig pen.

What seems to work best for me in terms of the wild critters is to keep foodstuffs locked away, religiously lock up my chickens at night, and put out a trap if some critter gets too greedy. This last tactic is a rarity. Sure the wild things take the occasional chicken or piglet but that is generally a sign I need to tighten things up... and fast. If I lose a lot of livestock or find uneaten carcasses laying around it mean it's time to fertilize the garden, so I pull out a shovel and keep a rifle loaded in my truck (only on my property...I was taught it was bad manners to carry a loaded gun around in public... actually any gun in public unless it's got a specific use like going hunting).

So to echo Mini Meat, it's about balancing your farm with your ecosystem and accepting that loss means you've got some work to do. Mourn your dead hen and then go build a fence in her honor.

 

[DesertChic]

I may have to rethink some of my meat breeding plans to include my largest 11 lb. Bielefelder cockerel, Hansel. Today I culled one of his offspring, a cockerel resulting from his mating with one of my Australorp hens.

This was Freddy:



He weighed in yesterday morning at 7.04 lbs live weight, and processed out at 4.8 lbs today.



I am pleasantly surprised by how meaty his carcass turned out to be.

 

[ronott1]

I may have to rethink some of my meat breeding plans to include my largest 11 lb. Bielefelder cockerel, Hansel. Today I culled one of his offspring, a cockerel resulting from his mating with one of my Australorp hens.

This was Freddy:



He weighed in yesterday morning at 7.04 lbs live weight, and processed out at 4.8 lbs today.



I am pleasantly surprised by how meaty his carcass turned out to be.

Very nice!

How old?

 

[AnthNDacula]

Very nice!

How old?

Beautiful!

 

[stryker]

I may have to rethink some of my meat breeding plans to include my largest 11 lb. Bielefelder cockerel, Hansel. Today I culled one of his offspring, a cockerel resulting from his mating with one of my Australorp hens.

This was Freddy:



He weighed in yesterday morning at 7.04 lbs live weight, and processed out at 4.8 lbs today.



I am pleasantly surprised by how meaty his carcass turned out to be.

How old was he? I really want some Bielefelder's...

 

[LindaB220]

Wretched cold kept me home from land shopping. Dr's appointment tomorrow. Maybe I'll get some relief. I just saw on another thread that a lady lost her husband. To a cold. Paranoid anyone, ha

 

[ronott1]

Wretched cold kept me home from land shopping. Dr's appointment tomorrow. Maybe I'll get some relief. I just saw on another thread that a lady lost her husband. To a cold. Paranoid anyone, ha

What thread?

 

[DesertChic]

Very nice!

How old?

He would've been 20 weeks this coming Saturday.