Breeds and Disease Resistance

[Chris09]

Quote:
I don't vaccinate any of my bird. I believe that if you are breeding for Disease Resistance you can't also be vaccinating for everything under the sun.

I also do not quarantine my bird when they come back from shows.

Chris

 

[gjensen]

I have not and don't intend to vaccinate my birds. Hopefully I will not regret it. I am generally against over treatment with antibiotics etc. My family and I do not get flu vaccines, and that includes my boys. If we get sick, we tough it out. Ofcourse if anything serious came up my boys would get a doctor's care, but the point is we is that we aren't bleeding hearts. I do not intend to be with my birds either. I do not like how quick we are to use antibiotics, and we do have a tendency to over vaccinate.
It doesn't do anyone or the flock any good to perpetuate weakness.
I do at some point intend to show a few birds here and there. I am going to have to pick up a few birds here and there. I do not want to be paranoid, but I will be careful. Who wants to ask for trouble? Who wants to pass the trouble on to someone else?
A question I have to those that are breeding for resistance is do you treat the birds or give them the ax? Some people that say they are breeding for resistance are treating their birds when their problems pop up. I have noticed it more than once.
I picture breeding for disease resistance differently than some. We have a virus prevelant in our soil that affects blackberries. There is nothing I can do to prevent it, and there is no treatment. I love blackberries so I crossed some with some local wild blackberries. I don't know if I will get anywhere, but to me that is breeding for disease resistance. Resistance to problems that are naturally present in your area, not to whatever you bring home. Do you really expect your birds to be immune to coryza?
Fayoumis are probably disease resistant to particular diseases because of the hundreds of years that they spent in the enviroment that they did. Games are resistant, but the best surviving cocks were bred for thousands of years. The breeder had to be tough enough to recover from battle wounds. I think it goes wthout saying that the cocks that were the most game, also was the most vigorous. Cockers aren't famous for being bleeding hearts either. Weakness was/is not tolerated. Still alot of cockers are battling disease on their yard now. The birds are not and will never be bulletproof. Resistance only goes so far, and to so many things.
What I do have a problem getting my head wrapped around is accepting disease as part of routine management. The idea can go too far. When a dozen breeds or strains have failed to thrive on your property, then either you have some really mean wild birds, or you need to review your animal husbandry skills. I also have a hard time with sharing birds from a flock that has known problems. If you are seeing it on your property, then you have a problem. Don't send it to someone else. Breeding for resistance is one thing, perpetuating it and passing it around is another.

 

[Beekissed]

When a dozen breeds or strains have failed to thrive on your property, then either you have some really mean wild birds, or you need to review your animal husbandry skills. I also have a hard time with sharing birds from a flock that has known problems. If you are seeing it on your property, then you have a problem. Don't send it to someone else. Breeding for resistance is one thing, perpetuating it and passing it around is another.

I really agree with this! If you can't seem to keep a flock healthy, it is definitely time to review the breeds you are buying, where you have obtained them and your general husbandry skills. Keeping chickens just shouldn't be that fraught with peril...they are relatively easy to keep healthy if you plan for disease prevention(NOT vaccines) by building good immune systems from day one of the chick and developing good husbandry skills.​

 

[ChicKat]

Quote:
Brad,

Thank you for starting this thread.... Very interesting comments.

Going back to the article, Leghorns, ISA Browns and Barred Rocks are among the breeds they listed. This could be one reason for the popularity of these breeds.

I have found, and am starting research about the B21 gene and the implications of disease resistance. The poster who has Key West feral chickens and others who rely on near 'wild' breeds like games have linked into breeds that have been participating in Natural selection. There probably is some real disease resistance in certain chicken genetics. Thanks again.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Quote:
Brad,

Thank you for starting this thread.... Very interesting comments.

Going back to the article, Leghorns, ISA Browns and Barred Rocks are among the breeds they listed. This could be one reason for the popularity of these breeds.

I have found, and am starting research about the B21 gene and the implications of disease resistance. The poster who has Key West feral chickens and others who rely on near 'wild' breeds like games have linked into breeds that have been participating in Natural selection. There probably is some real disease resistance in certain chicken genetics. Thanks again.

No problem

I have always wondered why some breeds were resistant to other diseases than others, so when you posted about the B21 gene I got all excited

So thank you, too!

 

[Arielle]

THis topic came up today: how nutrition plays a part in disease and resistance. This would be the non-genetic types of resistance. The kind where the foods provided the nutrients that fight or prevent cancers. Do fowl have cancers? Does anyone research this? Or do the hatchery birds live such short lives that the cancer is not yet started in a 2-3 year old pullet fed commercial feed. Just seems to me that birds, and us, benefit from fresh greens.
IMO then the" wild fowl" doubly benefits: genetic selection for resistance and better quality micronutrients.

Please fill me in. I thought ISA browns were a commercial breed. How is it able to have better disease resistance? Really curious.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Quote:
I'm going to consult some books I have for the nutrition thing, and see what they say.

I believe the Marek's virus causes cancerous tumors and such, if that helps.

I wouldn't know why the ISA browns would have better resistance other than the hybrid vigor.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Alright this is from The Chicken Health Handbook:

"A chicken's body uses protein to produce antibodies that fight disease. During infection, a bird rapidly loses its protein stores, cuasing its protein requirement to go up. If the bird cannot obtain additional protein, its resistance level drops."

Interferon is a protein produced by cells to target cancer cells and helps cells protect themselves from viruses. So protein definitely has a major part in nutrition.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
Not to get OT but what's Nustock?

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
Marek's is a type of chicken cancer. It's in the same family as human cervical cancer, although it effects the mainly the chicken's neurological system. It's from a herpes virus.