Most disease resistant breeds

[arizona_chicken_noob]

I don't have any wisdom I just wanted to say that I also live in Phoenix so thank you for the heads up, and that your chickens and family are absolutely adorable.

I seem to read that vaccinated birds can be added to existing flocks with little/no problems, so that may be an option. I am suddenly glad I opted for the Marek's when I started this new hobby.

 

[cubalaya]

i have been raising chickens for 40 years and keep 3 breeds here; Cubalayas, Asils, and Brazillians. have had many other breeds in the past. some breeds are more disease resistant than others. no backyard flock should be vaccinating birds, only commercial operations. i havent had any case of mareks mg respiratory or anything else for years. i breed for resistance from the time i originally got my birds. only keeping the strongest healthiest birds that never show any sign of sickness and only allowing those to breed. it doesnt matter if mareks is in the ground or wild birds shed their dander. my birds dont get it. it takes about a decade for each breed to breed like this. you must cull heavy at first. nowadays if i want to bring in a new bird from another state i simply quarantine for 30 days and watch for any signs of sickness in the first year that i have them. after that year i can breed them into my flock. this is not the quick way but its the only way to improve your flocks. a vaccine or antibiotic wont fix it

 

[McChooky]

Most people don't have a clue what sound breeding practices are.

i have been raising chickens for 40 years and keep 3 breeds here; Cubalayas, Asils, and Brazillians. have had many other breeds in the past. some breeds are more disease resistant than others. no backyard flock should be vaccinating birds, only commercial operations. i havent had any case of mareks mg respiratory or anything else for years. i breed for resistance from the time i originally got my birds. only keeping the strongest healthiest birds that never show any sign of sickness and only allowing those to breed. it doesnt matter if mareks is in the ground or wild birds shed their dander. my birds dont get it. it takes about a decade for each breed to breed like this. you must cull heavy at first. nowadays if i want to bring in a new bird from another state i simply quarantine for 30 days and watch for any signs of sickness in the first year that i have them. after that year i can breed them into my flock. this is not the quick way but its the only way to improve your flocks. a vaccine or antibiotic wont fix it

Wouldn't breeding their sick pets to a disease resistant breed lowers the resistance of the healthy breeds offspring? I wouldn't think anyone who didn't have the heart to cull their own pets would jeopardize healthy chicks by breeding them to diseased birds once they've made it to adult stage.

 

[cubalaya]

Most people don't have a clue what sound breeding practices are.

Wouldn't breeding their sick pets to a disease resistant breed lowers the resistance of the healthy breeds offspring? I wouldn't think anyone who didn't have the heart to cull their own pets would jeopardize healthy chicks by breeding them to diseased birds once they've made it to adult stage.

I would think so

 

[valeried]

My flock also has Marek's. My Vet came out to look at the my flock and check out their coop etc. She liked everything we were doing and said it was very likely the chicks were not vaccinated even thought the place I bought them said they were. She said it was unnecessary to cull the entire flock because even if I wanted new birds it is impossible to get the disease out of the dirt. It could have been dormant on the property before i ever brought chickens there. My birds are not even a year old yet and I have lost 4 out of 10. I may lose a couple more but it's just something I can't do anything about.

As far as brining new birds in - I will when the time comes. I will seek out a breeder who understands this disease and has dealt with it - if I can find one.

 

[Folly's place]

Best to get replacement chicks already vaccinated against Marek's as day olds, and then isolate them completely for two weeks, away from any contact with your flock/ property.
They will still contract Marek's, but be protected against the tumors that kill.
So sorry you have this problem!
Mary

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

My 2 cents…. breed the survivors you already have and bring in outside blood of resistant strains. You’ll beat it by creating flock immunity. Let those that can’t beat the disease die and let the strong reproduce. If more people would have done this decades ago instead of relying on a leaky vaccine that perpetuates the disease, Mareks as we know it might have become rare.

 

[cubalaya]

My 2 cents…. breed the survivors you already have and bring in outside blood of resistant strains. You’ll beat it by creating flock immunity. Let those that can’t beat the disease die and let the strong reproduce. If more people would have done this decades ago instead of relying on a leaky vaccine that perpetuates the disease, Mareks as we know it might have become rare.

Winning post. This is what all breeders should be doing. Vaccines should not be for backyard flocks

 

[TwistedTayy]

My 2 cents…. breed the survivors you already have and bring in outside blood of resistant strains. You’ll beat it by creating flock immunity. Let those that can’t beat the disease die and let the strong reproduce. If more people would have done this decades ago instead of relying on a leaky vaccine that perpetuates the disease, Mareks as we know it might have become rare.

I’ve been struggling with deciding whether to vaccinate or not. I’m doing a breeding project and one of my most important traits is disease resistance. Starting with 2 fayoumi hens and all others are landrace breeds, which though not proven, are considered to be healthier. BUT they aren’t coming from their original landrace flocks.

If I vaccinate, then I can’t tell if they’re resistant (to mareks anyways). If I don’t vaccinate, I risk losing parent stock. And that’s if I even have mareks in my immediate area…

Fact of the matter is babying animals creates weak animals. That’s what vaccines are supposed to be doing, you’re giving them the virus so that they can learn to fight it off. A leaky vaccine is no more than a way to make money. Soon you won’t be able to have birds that aren’t vaccinated. Mareks will be too widespread, especially with the rate more and more people are getting into chickens.

 

[rascal66]

My 2 cents…. breed the survivors you already have and bring in outside blood of resistant strains. You’ll beat it by creating flock immunity. Let those that can’t beat the disease die and let the strong reproduce. If more people would have done this decades ago instead of relying on a leaky vaccine that perpetuates the disease, Mareks as we know it might have become rare.

I've always wondered if you could truly breed for resistance to Mareks. If so, I would be aiming for this entirely. Create genetically resistant, stonger birds!
Back to the original post, its really a tough call. Wish you luck on it