Raising Baby Chick-Along

[calichicken]

Congratulations on your son's impending wedding!! How fun- crazy - but fun!Soak in every moment!
We are actually doing pretty well here - knowledge is definitely power. I've researched until I can't see straight anymore!
My plan for my flock - currently - is to collect fertilized eggs from my most hard hit breeds, hatch and then vaccinate them. Currently my flock is about half vaccinated, half not (there wasn't really a choice involved in that, it's just the way it worked out), so eventually I will either have all vaccinated, or resistant birds. I will not ever be able to sell started birds though, even with vaccinations, because of the exposure on our farm. I can, however, sell hatching eggs and chicks (carefully incubated, vaccinated and biosecure from the outside world.) should my flock ever get back to that point again. Right now, all the eggs are for me - so I don't have to start over.

Of course, every now and then, I just want to process them all, have a giant chicken barbecue, and call it quits. But that feeling generally passes when I go out and watch the silly, happy critters in my yard!

Thanks! We are definately enjoying the wedding process!
Good news!!!! I have my chickens as pets and love them so much! Seeing all their crazy antics makes all the stressful times worth it so question....do the eggs that come from vaccinated birds hatch chicks naturally resistant to Mareks?

 

[WVduckchick]

Hi All!!!
Been off of BYC and just now getting caught up .
@orrpeople I am so sorry to hear about your flockI don't know anything about Mareks but plan to read the articles. Is it some thing you can treat or control symptoms with meds so your flock can live a happy life? Please continue to post your experience so we a can learn and you are right. BYC is such a great place to get support and help...it has helped me out so many times with my babies!!!
@CapricornFarm you have for a lot of work done@ I know this isn't a goat thread but can you post your goat barn as you complete it? We are thinking of building one maybe in the spring
So update on the girl..my Fiona is STILL broodybut I think she maybe heading out of it...FINALLY! ,When they are out of their house, she is running around more and plopping down less. And she is

finally eating more of her feed.. so fingers crossed in another week or two she will be back to her non broody self. Her poor sister Sydney misses her . And poor Fiona has lost some weight in this process! I have been giving her drops of nutri drench to help her out..and snacks to encourage her to eat more!
My son is getting married in 7 weeks, so I will probably be off and on with BYC ...lots of wedding craziness right now ...LOL !

crazy Fiona! I finally gave in to my Fiona and gave her 5 eggs from my blue frizzle, which turned out to be good, because i haven't gotten many more eggs from her. She's on day 19, so expecting some babies any time!

Congrats on the upcoming wedding. I feel like we are kindred spirits, the Fionas, and now this, only in my case it's a granddaughter on the way, from my son and DIL. 2 weeks to go, if she doesn't deliver by Nov 8th, they are inducing labor.

Congratulations on your son's impending wedding!! How fun- crazy - but fun!Soak in every moment!
We are actually doing pretty well here - knowledge is definitely power. I've researched until I can't see straight anymore!
My plan for my flock - currently - is to collect fertilized eggs from my most hard hit breeds, hatch and then vaccinate them. Currently my flock is about half vaccinated, half not (there wasn't really a choice involved in that, it's just the way it worked out), so eventually I will either have all vaccinated, or resistant birds. I will not ever be able to sell started birds though, even with vaccinations, because of the exposure on our farm. I can, however, sell hatching eggs and chicks (carefully incubated, vaccinated and biosecure from the outside world.) should my flock ever get back to that point again. Right now, all the eggs are for me - so I don't have to start over.

Of course, every now and then, I just want to process them all, have a giant chicken barbecue, and call it quits. But that feeling generally passes when I go out and watch the silly, happy critters in my yard!

Sounds like a plan. I very much value all the research you have done, and if/when it ever happens to me, I'll be bugging you to pieces. I wish you the best of luck in your plan, and hope to follow along with your progress.

 

[calichicken]

crazy Fiona! I finally gave in to my Fiona and gave her 5 eggs from my blue frizzle, which turned out to be good, because i haven't gotten many more eggs from her. She's on day 19, so expecting some babies any time!

Congrats on the upcoming wedding. I feel like we are kindred spirits, the Fionas, and now this, only in my case it's a granddaughter on the way, from my son and DIL. 2 weeks to go, if she doesn't deliver by Nov 8th, they are inducing labor.



Sounds like a plan. I very much value all the research you have done, and if/when it ever happens to me, I'll be bugging you to pieces. I wish you the best of luck in your plan, and hope to follow along with your progress.

Lol...yes! I think we are! Congrats on your upcoming Granddaughter and feather babies of course! Of course we need a pic when she gets here
In hindsight...it may have been better to give my Fiona eggs but we just aren't set up or ready for them and our weather has been getting cooler and cooler! She has been out and about all day today so fingers crossed she is snapping out of it!
Her sister Sydney was nipping at her when she got clucky so now Fiona is a little Leary of her sister hopefully they work it out...they were inseparable before Fiona went broody. We tried to keep Sydney away from Fiona as much as possible when she got clucky

 

[CapricornFarm]

I went out and sat in the run with my chicks today. They look more like adults every day!

 

[orrpeople]

Thanks! We are definately enjoying the wedding process!
Good news!!!! I have my chickens as pets and love them so much! Seeing all their crazy antics makes all the stressful times worth it so question....do the eggs that come from vaccinated birds hatch chicks naturally resistant to Mareks?

So, this is one I've read conflicting information about.
First, the Marek's vaccine doesn't actually keep the bird from catching the disease. Vaccinated birds simply do not develop the deadly lesions that kill, but they can have the disease and be carriers all the same.
Okay, now the more complicated stuff:
Some of those that are "breeding for resistance" insist that the antibodies in a "resistant" bird are passed down to the chicks. I'm not quite sure of this because the Marek's virus itself is not passed on through the egg; only through dander (horizontal spreading). Others breeding for resistance indicate some possible genetic strength enabling the bird to resist succumbing to the disease. Good genetics are definitely vertical in nature, perhaps affording the offspring some resistance as well.
The biggest problem I see to trying to breed for resistance is that one may feel they have a bird who has successfully lived through one or more outbreaks, only to die in the next. So, ultimately, resistance can't ever really be proven. (There is currently no blood test to identify the presence of the virus in a bird - only through necropsy is this validated. ...can't breed a dead bird... )

 

[orrpeople]

I went out and sat in the run with my chicks today. They look more like adults every day!View attachment 1171375 View attachment 1171378

So great!! Beauties, all!

 

[CapricornFarm]

I really like my Sussex Rooster, handsome fellow. I need to get a picture.

 

[igorsMistress]

Here's my babies. The cockerel I'm keeping is front and center, also keeping the 2 blue pullets. I'm hoping I have a home for the little black roo in the back.

 

[orrpeople]

View attachment 1171578

Here's my babies. The cockerel I'm keeping is front and center, also keeping the 2 blue pullets. I'm hoping I have a home for the little black roo in the back.

They're lovely!
Silverudd's?

 

[igorsMistress]

They're lovely!
Silverudd's?

Thank you! They're blue Australorps