The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[desertmarcy]

To my knowledge you cant breed for resistance to Mareks. The only thing you can do to affect your experience with Mareks is vaccinate. If you have seen Mareks and the next year you didn't have it you are just lucky. This just my opinion through experience.

Matt

It is well known that some chickens have natural resistance to Mareks, so why wouldn't one be able to breed for resistance? It seems to me, if you have a group of birds and some have come down with Mareks but not all, if you breed the ones the didn't get it, you should produce more birds that are resistant. It is logical to assume they would all have been exposed given that it spreads readily through dander.

 

[RoseMarie1]

The Standard of Perfection is not slated for a new publication very soon. Go ahead and buy a copy.

Secondly, if your breed is one of the common, older breeds, there will be no change in the standard, for the Reds for example. There has been no change in a very, very long time.

Thank you!!!

 

[RoseMarie1]

I sure hope so Fred! Bigbie my oldest Cock is really looking nice after his molt!! At least the broadness! Beginning to see spur tips on my Kittle project bird I never did get culled. Freezer is still pretty full and it is too cold outside to do him.

Back up to two eggs, for today anyway... but I think both are the pulletts I hatched early last year! So not sure how good that hatch rate will be on young layers. But I'm going to set every Nelson egg I can get. I think my production for selection will be a year behind you. And you're a little more experienced.

Yes it is very cold. Exchanging out water every two hours for them now. Negative temps. At least there isn't four foot of snow this year.

oh bless your heart! Stay warm! Our temps are suppose to be like 9 tonight. That's almost unheard of here. The wind is horrible.

 

[Rancher3535]

To my knowledge you cant breed for resistance to Mareks. The only thing you can do to affect your experience with Mareks is vaccinate. If you have seen Mareks and the next year you didn't have it you are just lucky. This just my opinion through experience.

Matt

I just wish they would put it into smaller dosages like 100 or so. A !000 per vial is way more than most can do since most people hatch out about 100 or less in each hatch.

I have heard of people splitting into quarters but not sure how they did it or if it was affective.

 

[RedRidge]

I have trouble justifying vaccinating for mareks.
We've raised poultry for four generations, have never used the vac and have never had mareks that I'm aware of. Same with cocci.
Maybe we just got lucky, or cull deeper, but we've never had any unusual losses. Oh we may loose a bird now and then. But it always seems very random and normally a pretty obvious reason.

But then again, I'm not big on vacs for humans so why would I vac livestock without serious cause.

 

[Fentress]

I have trouble justifying vaccinating for mareks.
We've raised poultry for four generations, have never used the vac and have never had mareks that I'm aware of. Same with cocci.
Maybe we just got lucky, or cull deeper, but we've never had any unusual losses. Oh we may loose a bird now and then. But it always seems very random and normally a pretty obvious reason.

But then again, I'm not big on vacs for humans so why would I vac livestock without serious cause.

This has been my experience as well. I don't know much about poultry disease, because I don't have to. I remind myself of that every time I have to put in the labor to move the birds to fresh ground.

 

[cmom]

I have trouble justifying vaccinating for mareks.
We've raised poultry for four generations, have never used the vac and have never had mareks that I'm aware of. Same with cocci.
Maybe we just got lucky, or cull deeper, but we've never had any unusual losses. Oh we may loose a bird now and then. But it always seems very random and normally a pretty obvious reason.

But then again, I'm not big on vacs for humans so why would I vac livestock without serious cause.

Same here. I have lost a bird now and then but most I have lost have been to predators and once in a great great while I may find one dead. Many time when I do find a dead bird it's one of my older ones. I have one old girl right now who isn't getting around as good any more but she is still laying eggs. I made a step for her so she could get into a nest box and lowered the feeder for her too.

 

[cmom]

Sheri, here is my Rose Comb RIR cockerel. Do the RC tend to hold their wing feathers lover than the SC? There was a cock, by his looks to be around 2 years old (spurs), at the show that I should have taken a picture of. The boy at the show, his comb was very high at the back and not very pointed but more rounded. Here is a picture of my boy and he does hold his wings lower like the boy at the show but my boys comb doesn't stick up nearly as high as the one at the show. The cock at the show, his comb was actually higher in the back than the front was. Please give me some advice on my boy. I would like to know what you think since you raise rose combs. Alieda



I'm not good at drawing especially on a computer but here goes. The back of the comb was much higher than the front. Not at all like my boy has. He did get Reserve Variety but he was the only rose comb there.


Here is a Single Comb I hatched and raised. Of course when you try to get a good picture they won't pose right. He got a champion at the Lake City, FL poultry show.

 

[jeremy]

I had some Reds from Paul Smith a few years ago, not sure what the lineage of the birds were, but I really enjoyed them. I had to give all of my LF up due to moving & returning to school, but I'm settled again & would like some more RIR. Does anyone plan on selling stock from some of the old strains?

A few pics of my Smith Reds.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I'm not that close to you but I have 3 hens that I would be willing to sell and I hope to have chicks after Easter.