The grandious expectations of Chickens in your backyard

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Oh! I can’t believe I didn’t get that . Thank I gotta get more sleep.

 

[aart]

But what words do the letters HMPH stand for?

It's a phonetic spelling. Say it like the letters sound! Just like: AARGH!!! Or: SHEESH!!! Or: DOH!

Should be H'MPH...short for HaruMPH!

 

[pitbullmomma]

But what words do the letters HMPH stand for?

It's the sound you make when you snort/grunt it out: Hmph. Or Hmmmpphh.
Kind of like: Grrrr.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I don’t know why I didn’t get that at first. The caps threw me off.

 

[lazy gardener]

All caps = She HarUMPHed loudly!

 

[junebuggena]

Hi , I want to thank everyone that sent me information when my teenagers were sick. Alas we lost all three of them. The first one 1 week before the last two. The last chicken that died I sent to the agricultural lab in Huntsville to get a diagnosis of death. It came back Ovarian Cancer as an off shoot of Marek's disease. It seems that all three died just about the same way.-Marek's disease. I did not know if the birds were vaccinated or not. When I talked to the doctor at the lab (who also has a backyard flock) he impressed upon me how important it is to have your new born chicks vaccinated. If they live afterwards the chances of them coming down with a full blown case of Marek's later on is very slim. Over 90% of chickens in the US have Marek's. Normally they don't die from it , they die from other complications due to Marek's. The death of these girls was really hard to accept, so I am taking this time to write the following..... You have to understand when you start your flock you should keep a "closed flock" if possible because every time you bring in a new chicken you bring in new diseases. Chickens are like people they get sick and they either live or die-If you can't accept the heart break of a death DON'T raise Chickens. I had no idea their deaths would effect me this way.
We now have 5 babies about 6 weeks old that we just introduced to the flock. As usual I am uptight about every confrontation that happens. These babies were hatched and raised out doors by our broody buff Cornish hen, we finally brought them into the coop 5 days ago. I guess what I am trying to say- Raising chickens is great/rewarding/super-satisfying but be ready for the dark side.

It is simply not true that most birds have Mareks. Vaccines don't work the same way in poultry that they do in mammals. The vaccine does not prevent the spread and transmission of the disease. The vaccine is leaky, which means vaccinated birds can contract Marek's, but they won't act sick and die. This means you can have this disease in your flock and you would never even know it till you decide to add a few unvaccinated birds to the flock. I would rather not vaccinate and know if and when I've got a problem than live in ignorance. It wasn't the chicks that brought in the Mareks. It came from your adult flock.

 

[lazy gardener]

To add to JB's excellent post above:

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

To believe that Marek's vaccination is a panacea for the disease is to buy a falsehood. Perhaps for the person who never raises their own chicks, for the person who ALWAYS depends on hatchery stock for replacement birds, for the person who has already had Marek's deaths in their flocks... perhaps then it might make sense to vaccinate. But, for the average back yard flock keeper, IMO, it makes more sense to breed forward for resistance, and to employ natural prevention means. A super easy natural flock immunity program simply involves encouraging wild turkeys to visit your yard. Marek's vaccination is breeding a super lethal strain of Marek's.

 

[Chickassan]

Really, wild turkeys help build immunity? That's terrific!

To add to JB's excellent post above:

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

To believe that Marek's vaccination is a panacea for the disease is to buy a falsehood. Perhaps for the person who never raises their own chicks, for the person who ALWAYS depends on hatchery stock for replacement birds, for the person who has already had Marek's deaths in their flocks... perhaps then it might make sense to vaccinate. But, for the average back yard flock keeper, IMO, it makes more sense to breed forward for resistance, and to employ natural prevention means. A super easy natural flock immunity program simply involves encouraging wild turkeys to visit your yard. Marek's vaccination is breeding a super lethal strain of Marek's.

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes. Turkeys, both wild and domestic carry a less lethal strain of Marek's dz.

 

[ShiftyShickens]

Hi , I want to thank everyone that sent me information when my teenagers were sick. Alas we lost all three of them. The first one 1 week before the last two. The last chicken that died I sent to the agricultural lab in Huntsville to get a diagnosis of death. It came back Ovarian Cancer as an off shoot of Marek's disease. It seems that all three died just about the same way.-Marek's disease. I did not know if the birds were vaccinated or not. When I talked to the doctor at the lab (who also has a backyard flock) he impressed upon me how important it is to have your new born chicks vaccinated. If they live afterwards the chances of them coming down with a full blown case of Marek's later on is very slim. Over 90% of chickens in the US have Marek's. Normally they don't die from it , they die from other complications due to Marek's. The death of these girls was really hard to accept, so I am taking this time to write the following..... You have to understand when you start your flock you should keep a "closed flock" if possible because every time you bring in a new chicken you bring in new diseases. Chickens are like people they get sick and they either live or die-If you can't accept the heart break of a death DON'T raise Chickens. I had no idea their deaths would effect me this way.
We now have 5 babies about 6 weeks old that we just introduced to the flock. As usual I am uptight about every confrontation that happens. These babies were hatched and raised out doors by our broody buff Cornish hen, we finally brought them into the coop 5 days ago. I guess what I am trying to say- Raising chickens is great/rewarding/super-satisfying but be ready for the dark side.

that is very true