Can someone clarify "closed flock" to me?

[chickflick]

Ok....this subject sure has got me thinking. Pardon my ignorance. Do you all have other pets? Do you practice biosecurity with them? If you have a dog, that means you don't take them for walks cuz he may come into contact with another dog that has parvo or fleas, etc. Same as a cat, can't let it out cuz of all the diseases that are out there. Even with chickens, it can't be that tight unless you have a pen that does not allow wild birds from getting in the run. I guess this would be with all animals, tho. Horses, goats, pigs, etc., etc.

 

[speckledhen]

Avians are not the same as mammals. So many of their diseases are herpes-type diseases that make them carriers for life, which means that even if they seem healthy, they can spread disease to other birds. It's not that way with most dog diseases and such, that I'm aware of.

 

[chickflick]

Thanks...

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

A lot of the most common avian diseases and such don't really stay in the system all their life, like an STD. It's just most of them, if left untreated, will stay there and spread like wildfire through a flock. Chickens are pretty tough in that they can be sick weeks before you notice a problem. Which is why usually if the bird looks sickly, it's hard to save it by then, becuase it's already been so weakened.

The majority of the things we try to keep out of our flocks can be carried through droppings and water. So you do have to be a bit more careful with birds than other pets, because as I said before, they can carry things you aren't even aware of. The flock drinks from the same water, and the little guys poop 24/7, so having a 'closed flock' does help disease-wise. HOWEVER, if you don't want to inbreed, you can always bring in new blood and quarantine the new birds before introducing them to yours.

Of course wild birds are a huge part in spreading avian diseases, so unless you have the chickens locked in a solid building, you're never really completely 'safe'. But generally, free range chickens and such already have pretty good natural immunities built up from being around so many different species of birds, chickens, and other animals.

 

[shelleyb1969]

So even someone who doesn't bring in new birds is still susceptible to avian disease in their flock...correct? So is "closed flock" truly a believable term?

I'd like to thank everyone who's posted and offered their expertise and opinions...I've learned a lot that I didn't know or suspect.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Done properly line breeding a closed flock can continue for a long time.
I have been breedind Single Combed Rhode Island Red bantams w/o adding any new blood for over 25 years. No problems so far.
A few years back I offered to sponsor a Dominique flock at The Farmers Museum in Cooperstown, NY. After some searching I found a closed flock that had been line bred for over 50 years. Just finished hatching for the museum & the hatch rate was over 90%. Culled one single combed chick out of the incubator-no other apparent problems.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Done properly line breeding a closed flock can continue for a long time.
I have been breedind Single Combed Rhode Island Red bantams w/o adding any new blood for over 25 years. No problems so far.
A few years back I offered to sponsor a Dominique flock at The Farmers Museum in Cooperstown, NY. After some searching I found a closed flock that had been line bred for over 50 years. Just finished hatching for the museum & the hatch rate was over 90%. Culled one single combed chick out of the incubator-no other apparent problems.

How interesting!

 

[Clay In Iowa]

A lot of the success in line breeding will most certainly be dependent on how large and how genetically varied the original flock is. One hen and one cock from the same parents will quickly end your closed flock adventure. 100 birds from 4, 5,..... 25 different sources could mean an almost unlimited foray into line breeding with few problems.

Go breeding records will also make for a much more enjoyable experience.

 

[greathorse]

ummm not necessarily all conventional wisdom would agree. There have been a lot of flocks started from a closely related pair. Offspring would need to go back to original sire, grandsire, etc. for a while. After that you would want to carefully monitor who bred who and begin to branch out within your own line.

I think you are 100% correct if you do not know what you are doing and not culling and not keeping records you could get into a lot of trouble quickly with a couple of closely bred pairs.

Not a genetic genius by any means, but that is my understanding.

 

[moody-chicken]

What happens if the first hens you buy have a respitory disease. So the flock is already compromised health wise? Do you close it off and practice good bio security to protect other people's livestock rather than your own? I'm worried I may be in this situation and I'm confused whether they can live a normal happy life or whether the relapses will be frequent and distressing. Also how do you find a reliable source? Most breeders I've met but hatching eggs off of eBay, would I be best starting with those and then "closing" them off?