Chronicles of Raising Meat Birds - Modern Broilers, Heritage and Hybrids

[Molpet]

Yeah if she gets in an egg box with eggs from my leghorn or other production birds that have slightly thinner shells she busts them.

I think I may grab two chicks and give them to her and see if she takes them and if not I’ll break her. She is too big to sit in that box all day right now. If I can’t find chicks today I’m just breaking her cause we have a 112 heat index today and through the weekend. :-/

Usually they have to sit over a week before they will take chicks

 

[jolenesdad]

Usually they have to sit over a week before they will take chicks

She has been! It’ll be a week probably tomorrow.

 

[Morrigan]

I want them to grow as fast as possible while still maintaining health. I'm hoping to process them by 8 weeks. Would you continue to offer free choice on a natural life cycle?

I've got a broody as well -- BO/EE mix. It's hot as blazes her. I've got a fan trained on her and am keeping a close eye.

I have 7 that just went broody... all are part CX..

I'm actually wondering if meat birds retain more broody instincts than other birds, simply because at least some of the strains they use were not bred for egg laying. My RR has shown some broody signs, although has not gone fully broody yet.

 

[BlueBaby]

Why is it always the hottest time of the year when they choose to go broody? I just had to break my 5th broody in 2 month's a couple of day's ago. I was finally able to transfer the 4 male chick's from my June 4th hatch into the pen that I had to use for breaking the broodies in. I left the 7 pullet's where they were at for now.

 

[Parront]

No they don’t have an in house mareks issue, commercial farms have mareks issues. The absolute most reliable vaccination is in ovo, especially when the chicks that go to commercial farms are brooded inside the houses they will grow in and many previously grew in so they’re exposed to whatever is there at the large farm.

I do know several producers that get non vaccinated birds from Moyers, however, you have to be on a contract that is prepaid since they have to set aside eggs for you that do not get vaccinated in the egg.

I think they hatch something like 300,000 birds a WEEK where obviously an overwhelming majority are going to large commercial producers, so the structure of what they do is built towards them.

most even major pastured poultry egg producers keep the hens overnight in less than a foot per bird hen houses. To have that kind of space, they often get the beak treatment. :-/

Thank you for the explaination. Is Marek’s disease a live vaccine? Could a vaccinated chick carry it like Newcastle's?

 

[Molpet]

Thank you for the explaination. Is Marek’s disease a live vaccine? Could a vaccinated chick carry it like Newcastle's?

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/tthis-chicken-vaccine-makes-virus-dangerous

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is Marek’s disease a live vaccine?

Yes. But it is Turkey Marek's, not Chicken Marek's. It does not prevent the chicken from getting Marek's and being a carrier, it prevents the lesions that do the damage from forming. The vaccine does not give your chicken the Marek's disease. It does not make it a carrier of Turkey Marek's or Chicken Marek's.

Could a vaccinated chick carry it like Newcastle's?

Not sure exactly what you mean by "like Newcastle's". The vaccine does not cause the chicken to be infected but if the chicken is exposed to Marek's it can catch it and give it to other chickens. If Marek's is in your flock every chicken you have has Marek's and is a carrier. The vaccinated ones will not show any symptoms.

Not all unvaccinated chickens will show symptoms either. Of course it will vary by flock but typically about half show symptoms, half don't. Some have a natural resistance. In theory you could probably breed a flock that was naturally resistant but it has not been done commercially. That makes me think it's not easy. Can you imagine how much of a marketing edge you'd have if you could produce a strain of chickens with a natural resistance?

 

[jolenesdad]

Is Marek’s disease a live vaccine?

Yes. But it is Turkey Marek's, not Chicken Marek's. It does not prevent the chicken from getting Marek's and being a carrier, it prevents the lesions that do the damage from forming. The vaccine does not give your chicken the Marek's disease. It does not make it a carrier of Turkey Marek's or Chicken Marek's.

Could a vaccinated chick carry it like Newcastle's?

Not sure exactly what you mean by "like Newcastle's". The vaccine does not cause the chicken to be infected but if the chicken is exposed to Marek's it can catch it and give it to other chickens. If Marek's is in your flock every chicken you have has Marek's and is a carrier. The vaccinated ones will not show any symptoms.

Not all unvaccinated chickens will show symptoms either. Of course it will vary by flock but typically about half show symptoms, half don't. Some have a natural resistance. In theory you could probably breed a flock that was naturally resistant but it has not been done commercially. That makes me think it's not easy. Can you imagine how much of a marketing edge you'd have if you could produce a strain of chickens with a natural resistance?

Really incredible point. I feel like, personally, one of the reasons most breeders say they “breed for resistance” is because it’s just not feasible for small breeders to vaccinate.

I’m with you here. If it could be done to breed resistance, it would be happening commercially. There seems to be a bit of misnomer amongst people that a vaccinated bird spreads it FROM the vaccine. If a vaccinated bird is spreading mareks, it was infected with the virus after vaccination. It would spread it either way to your flock, but being vaccinated, it probably lives.

I have a lot of unvaccinated birds. I feel like in the long run they’re just ticking time bombs because there’s such limited ways to actually prevent the disease.

 

[jolenesdad]

I've got a broody as well -- BO/EE mix. It's hot as blazes her. I've got a fan trained on her and am keeping a close eye.



I'm actually wondering if meat birds retain more broody instincts than other birds, simply because at least some of the strains they use were not bred for egg laying. My RR has shown some broody signs, although has not gone fully broody yet.

I think they may be inclined to being broody. Commercially it’s probably a trait they don’t even worry about or know exists in the lines because even grandparent lines are culled so early in life.

 

[Molpet]

Really incredible point. I feel like, personally, one of the reasons most breeders say they “breed for resistance” is because it’s just not feasible for small breeders to vaccinate.

I’m with you here. If it could be done to breed resistance, it would be happening commercially. There seems to be a bit of misnomer amongst people that a vaccinated bird spreads it FROM the vaccine. If a vaccinated bird is spreading mareks, it was infected with the virus after vaccination. It would spread it either way to your flock, but being vaccinated, it probably lives.

I have a lot of unvaccinated birds. I feel like in the long run they’re just ticking time bombs because there’s such limited ways to actually prevent the disease.

https://www.poultryworld.net/Health...-risk-from-leaky-Mareks-vaccination-2664502W/