Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[ChaosMom]

- she is not aggressive when I retrieve eggs from under her - rather she seems to want to tuck my hand under her like she plans to hatch more fingers for me

Oh, my. That is heartbreakingly sweet.

 

[BDutch]

and will eventually have to break her - but she will be back broody within a few days so I need a plan.

If I have a suspected broody (early fase of broodiness) its easier to break her than after a few days.
I have nestboxes in two spots (2 +1). When I have a broody I take away the eggs in the broodies nestbox and block the area/ nestbox in the afternoon.
Only risking that some hens start to lay under a roost.

 

[Perris]

The research data suggests I would lose between 20-30% of them by day 56 if I exposed them to Marek's earlier. The experimental design though is a single dose of exposure - putting them under a hen who may be shedding virus is a sustained exposure. That scenario has never been studied but presumably means the 20-30% loss would be my best case.

what's the best research you've found on Marek's? I know the informative threads here on BYC, but I imagine you've tracked down some good papers...

And I can be very clinical about it and say that isn't such a bad bet, but I am not sure how I would cope with the losses from a disease that I had knowingly exposed them to.

but they would have no life at all but for your giving them a chance

I am sure you are now regretting that you asked

far from it! I'm keen to learn about Mareks.

she will be back broody within a few days so I need a plan

do you think she knows she has a life limiting condition and maybe thus has a greater sense of urgency about reproducing?

 

[BDutch]

Henry went to roost about twenty minutes before the hens.

My older hens roost earlier too. But giving grains/scratch/treats at the dnd if the day makes them come off again most of the time.

 

[RoyalChick]

what's the best research you've found on Marek's? I know the informative threads here on BYC, but I imagine you've tracked down some good papers...

but they would have no life at all but for your giving them a chance

far from it! I'm keen to learn about Mareks.

do you think she knows she has a life limiting condition and maybe thus has a greater sense of urgency about reproducing?

I will organize my findings on the research and post here with links to the papers assuming Shad is OK. It will take me a couple of days as I am still hot on the trail. It will help me get my thinking straight.
I will post it behind a spoiler so others don’t need to scroll.

But to answer your last question, I don’t believe she feels she has a life limiting condition, and she almost certainly doesn’t have one.
She is vaccinated and kept free from exposure for sufficient time for the vaccine to take and so is very unlikely to die from Marek’s. I don’t know if she is a carrier or not, but she herself is protected.

 

[Perris]

I don’t believe she feels she has a life limiting condition, and she almost certainly doesn’t have one.

that's great news; she is a beautiful hen. And those eggs!

 

[ChaosMom]

After four hours of increasingly desperate searching, somehow a circle appeared in the pulled-back pine needles, and lo, a ring.

Which I’m now wearing on my RIGHT ring finger.

 

[MaryJanet]

I will organize my findings on the research and post here with links to the papers assuming Shad is OK. It will take me a couple of days as I am still hot on the trail. It will help me get my thinking straight.
I will post it behind a spoiler so others don’t need to scroll.

But to answer your last question, I don’t believe she feels she has a life limiting condition, and she almost certainly doesn’t have one.
She is vaccinated and kept free from exposure for sufficient time for the vaccine to take and so is very unlikely to die from Marek’s. I don’t know if she is a carrier or not, but she herself is protected.

View attachment 4078644

Such inky black feathers!

 

[MrsNorthie]

far from it! I'm keen to learn about Mareks.

There was a group having a debate on natural immunity versus vaccines in relationship to the new mRNA vax for bird flu. The general consensus is that this is another 'leaky' vaccine and someone shared this article from PBS, as an example of the dangers of leaky vaccines.

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

I feel fortunate that we are pretty isolated here so it is not a big concern and our keeping conditions, while not fully free ranging, are nowhere near as restricted and barbaric as the commercial battery chickens.

 

[Molpet]

After four hours of increasingly desperate searching, somehow a circle appeared in the pulled-back pine needles, and lo, a ring.

Which I’m now wearing on my RIGHT ring finger.

View attachment 4078989

And this is one reason I don't wear jewelry at home...or work, but I worked with electricity.