Moving Forward- Breeding for Resistance to Marek's Disease

[speckledhen]

Thanks, I hope so, too. And I hope they make sense or I will be challenging them, as suggested by Dr. Mason.

 

[seminolewind]

I agree. Being sisters opens a lot more possibilities.

Right now I have 7 hens that live on virgin ground behind everyone else. They sure eat a lot.

Where would one but that lime they used to use for whitewashing? It's not the garden lime.

 

[sassybirds]

I agree.  Being sisters opens a lot more possibilities. 

Right now I have 7 hens that live on virgin ground behind everyone else.  They sure eat a lot. 

Where would one but that lime they used to use for whitewashing?  It's not the garden lime.

There is garden lime, which is safe for use around animal bedding/coops, and quicklime. You would want slaked quicklime for whitewashing. I have seen hydrated lime at Tractor Supply.

Thanks, I hope so, too. And I hope they make sense or I will be challenging them, as suggested by Dr. Mason.

I agree. Their necropsy reports can be terribly vague. I would want to talk to the vet personally, if I had any hazy info.

 

[PetRock]

I agree. Being sisters opens a lot more possibilities.

Right now I have 7 hens that live on virgin ground behind everyone else. They sure eat a lot.

Where would one but that lime they used to use for whitewashing? It's not the garden lime.

I bought hydrated lime from Amazon.com and used it to whitewash the inside of my coop. This reminds me that I need to do it again!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HJBKEO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[mrchicks]

Thank you to everyone for such a fascinating and informative thread! I'm posting as a placeholder, now back to reading.....

 

[seminolewind]

Quote: yea, I saw those 20 lb bags-free shipping and was thinking about it. I don't white wash-I use Virkon. But I would certainly like to treat the high traffic areas with lime-but the nasty stuff, LOL

My skinny skinny Mangia who slept all day-I put her in the hutch on the patio and put sulfadimethoxine and Tylan in her water, and she is eating like a pig! She will go back out tomorrow.

I have also been reading a bit here and there and have heard that you may be able to have a more natural resistance with keeping chicks separate til they're 5-6 months old. Makes sense based on concentration of virus.

 

[Michael Apple]

I have also been reading a bit here and there and have heard that you may be able to have a more natural resistance with keeping chicks separate til they're 5-6 months old. Makes sense based on concentration of virus.

I use a grow off pen and never let pullets around adults until they are developed and laying. I won't mix ages of birds anymore beyond what I already have. I have an old flock left over from a larger flock of 8-10 year old hens which are still healthy. I have one Wyandotte Bantam, age six, in with my 1.5 year old California Gray flock, but she has always been very healthy and can hold her own. She was the last of a small Bantam flock I kept at one time. When the Gray flock was mature to her size, I knew I could introduce them to where she wouldn't be overwhelmed. Her mate, a Wyandotte bantam rooster was mercifully culled when I was treating him for crop problems, and found a tumor in his breast. I didn't want her to be alone, and didn't want to run 3 separate flocks. My only CA Gray rooster never bothers her even though he's a vigorous bird. One of the gentlest roosters I ever had with hens and humans a was a Cuckoo Marans. He fought a Bobcat once to defend his hens, as I came running out with a rifle. I thought he was dead, but he made it after I nursed his injuries for a week. He lived another 2-3 years and gradually lost the use of his legs to where I culled him at about 5 years old. That was tough to do as I became attached to him like many of my birds.

 

[speckledhen]

I use a grow off pen and never let pullets around adults until they are developed and laying. I won't mix ages of birds anymore beyond what I already have. I have an old flock left over from a larger flock of 8-10 year old hens which are still healthy. I have one Wyandotte Bantam, age six, in with my 1.5 year old California Gray flock, but she has always been very healthy and can hold her own. She was the last of a small Bantam flock I kept at one time. When the Gray flock was mature to her size, I knew I could introduce them to where she wouldn't be overwhelmed. Her mate, a Wyandotte bantam rooster was mercifully culled when I was treating him for crop problems, and found a tumor in his breast. I didn't want her to be alone, and didn't want to run 3 separate flocks. My only CA Gray rooster never bothers her even though he's a vigorous bird. One of the gentlest roosters I ever had with hens and humans a was a Cuckoo Marans. He fought a Bobcat once to defend his hens, as I came running out with a rifle. I thought he was dead, but he made it after I nursed his injuries for a week. He lived another 2-3 years and gradually lost the use of his legs to where I culled him at about 5 years old. That was tough to do as I became attached to him like many of my birds.

Sounds like an awesome rooster!

The problem with keeping ages separate is you can't have broody raised chicks, which is all I do now. And they free range with the babies because I don't have a separate pen/coop area for a broody other than a 3x5 cage inside the Orp coop. If they get out of that, they walk outside and down the wide ramp and are on range. So the babies roam the same grounds as all other free ranging adults anyway.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:

I would think the separation protocol is more for those who do have a problem. I would love to have broody chicks, but the last 3 died around 8 months old. I wouldn't know where to keep them separated because I"m only on an acre.

 

[speckledhen]

I would think the separation protocol is more for those who do have a problem. I would love to have broody chicks, but the last 3 died around 8 months old. I wouldn't know where to keep them separated because I"m only on an acre.

Maybe so. I have over 5 acres, but it would not be feasible to keep that much separation. Its just too much work for us. We're trying to let numbers dwindle anyway, but some of these broodies would kill themselves if we didn't let them sit at some point.