Keeping Chickens Free Range

[lazy gardener]

For someone to blame you on Mareks entering their flock is similar to someone stating that they caught a cold from me. If I was sneezing and snotting into their air space when they were in my presence, that's a likely possibility. However, they could have caught that cold from touching the push handle of the grocery cart at the store just as easily. IMO, the best defense against Mareks is to provide plenty of coop and run space, free range as possible, give optimal nutrition (fermented feed, early exposure to local soils for chicks, IMO), cull any sick or not thriving birds, DO NOT VACCINATE, and encourage wild turkey populations to visit your yard.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
I think this one is a huge load of crap...and I've heard that said about multiple poultry diseases and even about internal parasites. I've lived with and around chickens, ducks, turkeys and such and people who raise them for all my life and generations of my family have raised poultry and none have ever had Marek's in their flocks nor any bird that died of symptoms that resemble those of Marek's.

Until I came on BYC, I'd never even HEARD of Marek's and the other poultry diseases that most people here fight with. If this assumption were true, we would have at least had it in our flocks once or had at least met someone else in the last hundred years that have experienced it.

I think this is what people say when they don't want to take responsibility for their methods, especially when it comes from scientists who support commercial ag...."everyone has it, they just don't know it". I'm calling bull hockey on that assumption.

 

[Tikkijane]

Lots of people keep ducks and don't have ponds and hopefully people who have ducks Adleast know the basics like this.. we have 3 kiddie pools thanks..

My kids "searched" all over town and couldn't find any after our last one cracked. I was in Target for something else and found them on clearance- normally $30 - marked down to $6.89. I bought the remaining 10. People in the checkout line looked at me like I was nuts when my daughter and I were gushing about how happy the ducks would be.

 

[Victoria-nola]

Quote:
I used to always need them for my pet pigs until we moved to our farm and one of them excavated himself a very nice earth pond in just the right spot. Amazing engineers, pigs are.

Anyway, end of summer is a GREAT time to look for those pools on deep discount.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

I think this one is a huge load of crap...and I've heard that said about multiple poultry diseases and even about internal parasites.   I've lived with and around chickens, ducks, turkeys and such and people who raise them for all my life and generations of my family have raised poultry and none have ever had Marek's in their flocks nor any bird that died of symptoms that resemble those of Marek's. 

Until I came on BYC, I'd never even HEARD of Marek's and the other poultry diseases that most people here fight with.  If this assumption were true, we would have at least had it in our flocks once or had at least met someone else in the last hundred years that have experienced it. 

I think this is what people say when they don't want to take responsibility for their methods, especially when it comes from scientists who support commercial ag...."everyone has it, they just don't know it".  I'm calling bull hockey on that assumption. 

I kind of agree with this. I mean I don't think it's not possible to catch things but I don't personally know a single person whose chickens have had mareks and I had never heard of it until I joined byc. I'm not saying it doesn't exist just that I don't think it's as common as some believe. I could be wrong though I'm still learning every day.

My kids "searched" all over town and couldn't find any after our last one cracked. I was in Target for something else and found them on clearance- normally $30 - marked down to $6.89. I bought the remaining 10. People in the checkout line looked at me like I was nuts when my daughter and I were gushing about how happy the ducks would be.

Lmfao that is so funny. We did the same thing. I had a tiny little pool but the ducks were outgrowing it so we also bought a ton at walmart for that exact price hahahaha. I bet every duck owner needing a kiddie pool was on that like white on rice hahaha

I used to always need them for my pet pigs until we moved to our farm and one of them excavated himself a very nice earth pond in just the right spot.  Amazing engineers, pigs are.

Anyway, end of summer is a GREAT time to look for those pools on deep discount.

It really is. I have a friend that buys her kids halo ween costumes the day after halloween lol

 

[duluthralphie]

I am sorry, I did not mean to bring a mericks discussion here. I thought I was posting on a different thread and it disappeared, I did not realize I posted it to here..


I think many illnesses that people have no idea what they really are get called Mericks. Kind of like every time we have a stomach illness we call it the flu, when it really isn't.




I know the basics of ducks! They should be composted for at least a year before using them on the garden..

 

[Tikkijane]

I used to always need them for my pet pigs until we moved to our farm and one of them excavated himself a very nice earth pond in just the right spot.  Amazing engineers, pigs are.

Anyway, end of summer is a GREAT time to look for those pools on deep discount.

Agreed!

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

Buy flannels in Summer, shorts in the Fall, etc. Warm jackets in the Early Spring, It's call Survival in the World of Capitalism.

My new chicks are doing well. Will get wormer for them, next trip in.

Older hen, with some sort of feather issue, sleeps in the Ground level nesting box. She can't fly. Have plywood leaning against the table, box sits under. I got to the porch JUST in time this morning; Plywood was out of the way, Dixie was chasing whatever it was off the property and poor hen was squished into the back corner..WHEW!



'Is this the way we do it, Momma? This the right way to get a dust Bath, Momma?' LOL

 

[slordaz]

Buy flannels in Summer, shorts in the Fall, etc. Warm jackets in the Early Spring, It's call Survival in the World of Capitalism.

My new chicks are doing well. Will get wormer for them, next trip in.

Older hen, with some sort of feather issue, sleeps in the Ground level nesting box. She can't fly. Have plywood leaning against the table, box sits under. I got to the porch JUST in time this morning; Plywood was out of the way, Dixie was chasing whatever it was off the property and poor hen was squished into the back corner..WHEW!



'Is this the way we do it, Momma? This the right way to get a dust Bath, Momma?' LOL

They are hilarious when they discover dust baths especially you have very many, the little ones would make sure everyone got a fair share of dirt for the whole flock. the rooster wasn't to happy though when one of the babies tried knocking him out with a flying rock, but he was smart to be scared to death of the broody no matter how bad he thinks he is after getting to close to new babies and the hen kicked his seat end he learned to only get close to them if momma didn't have red glowing eyes and puffed up like a cross between a cranky gander and a raptor lol.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

They are hilarious when they discover dust baths especially you have very many, the little ones would make sure everyone got a fair share of dirt for the whole flock. the rooster wasn't to happy though when one of the babies tried knocking him out with a flying rock, but he was smart to be scared to death of the broody no matter how bad he thinks he is after getting to close to new babies and the hen kicked his seat end he learned to only get close to them if momma didn't have red glowing eyes and puffed up like a cross between a cranky gander and a raptor lol.

Seriously I can't wait lol this is the most precious thing ever!!!