The Old Folks Home

[MrsMistyReal]

Good morning everyone

 

[microchick]

Morning all!

Woke up to a lighter shade of overcast this morning. Still no real sunshine to speak of. Maybe tomorrow. At least partly sunny is mentioned in the forecast but I'm not holding my breath. Everything here is so soggy wet and muddy that going outside is a challenge at best.

DH and I went for a walk yesterday just to get out of the house for a bit and our feet made 'squishing' sounds when we walked across the pasture.

While the bantams don't seem to mind slogging through the mud, the large fowl are adamantly trying to avoid it which means they are spending a lot of time in the coop.

Thanks for passing on the info about the thread J'est another day in Pair a dice. I remember that thread and wondered why had happened to it.

 

[microchick]

@getaclue, I sure would love to read those studies if you have the links. The Univeristy of Missouri at Columbia doctor that I talked to told me that if I could get birds to live past three years of age they would consider them resistant to Marek's and to breed out of those survivors. The challenge was to find birds over three that were still producing fertile eggs.

My Wells and Buff Os are all over three now and still producing eggs fertilized by my 2 year old roosters. For me, getting roosters to 2 years of age has been the trick as most of my male fatalities have been at the 1 year to 18 month stage.

I could breed from my Buffs but frankly, do not want to after reading that Buff O's are particularly susceptible to Marek's ranking up there with Silkies. My birds with Ocular Marek's are all Buff O with the exception of one hen that is Buff O and Welly cross.

My oldest bantams are 2 now. I read somewhere (maybe here on BYC) where a person with Marek's was building resistance by breeding their surviving birds with vaccinated birds added to their flocks. That is what I am attempting and hoping works.

Since I am trying to breed smaller birds (bantams), my large fowl are kept from my bantams and bantam crosses.

What I find curious. is that the only lost three bantam crosses to the disease while the large fowl number is about 15 or 16. In all honesty, they were dropping so fast that I lost count. That leads me to suspect that the birds in this area, probably 60% Amish farms, have built up immunity and resistance to the local strain of the disease. I didn't add bantams until last year, the start of year two owning chickens and I'd already started loosing birds to the disease.

When I stop to consider this it makes me suspect that the local birds are resistant and probably like somebody mentioned, carriers. I never let anyone other than myself or my husband enter my coop or runs nor do I go into anyone else's. That leaves airborne transmission and also proves that no matter how careful you are, it can still reach out and bit you in the backside when you aren't looking.

It's been a real learning experience for me. I told DH this morning that I love my birds but look at them with the knowledge that any one of them could drop dead without warning at any time. Knowing that, I've become a little more relaxed with them and learned to just enjoy them other than worrying every day when somebody sneezes, stays on the roosts a little longer than normal or feels a bit thinner than I would like. Chickens are going to be chickens, they are going to drink out of mud puddles when they have a bowl of clean fresh water sitting nearby. They are going to eat mice and toads whenever they can find one that they can out run and catch, the list goes on. The best I can do is worm them regularly, treat them when they get bumble foot or whatever, give them good food and plenty of fresh water even when there are mud puddles about, hope for the best and expect the worse and that is about all any of us can do with our flocks.

Sorry for the long rant but Marek's is something that can strike any flock at any time. As once said, it is everywhere and no flock is 100% free of it.

 

[ronott1]

I've really come to love my Welly girls. They aren't warm and cuddly, never going to be lap chickens but their independence won me over. I told DH that if I was ever tempted to keep large fowl around it would be the Welly's. Excellent layers, pretty birds. I have one two year old Welsummer rooster who has survived the Marek's purge. Maybe I will get brave and breed a few this summer and hope for pullets.

@CapricornFarm, No doubt about it your DH loves you. Sounds like you got yourself a keeper, too.

You should breed those roosters that survived mareks!

 

[ronott1]

Morning all!

Woke up to a lighter shade of overcast this morning. Still no real sunshine to speak of. Maybe tomorrow. At least partly sunny is mentioned in the forecast but I'm not holding my breath. Everything here is so soggy wet and muddy that going outside is a challenge at best.

DH and I went for a walk yesterday just to get out of the house for a bit and our feet made 'squishing' sounds when we walked across the pasture.

While the bantams don't seem to mind slogging through the mud, the large fowl are adamantly trying to avoid it which means they are spending a lot of time in the coop.

Thanks for passing on the info about the thread J'est another day in Pair a dice. I remember that thread and wondered why had happened to it.

It was 80F here yesterday and will be at those temps for a week. I am at work without a coat today!

 

[ronott1]

@getaclue, I sure would love to read those studies if you have the links. The Univeristy of Missouri at Columbia doctor that I talked to told me that if I could get birds to live past three years of age they would consider them resistant to Marek's and to breed out of those survivors. The challenge was to find birds over three that were still producing fertile eggs.

My Wells and Buff Os are all over three now and still producing eggs fertilized by my 2 year old roosters. For me, getting roosters to 2 years of age has been the trick as most of my male fatalities have been at the 1 year to 18 month stage.

I could breed from my Buffs but frankly, do not want to after reading that Buff O's are particularly susceptible to Marek's ranking up there with Silkies. My birds with Ocular Marek's are all Buff O with the exception of one hen that is Buff O and Welly cross.

My oldest bantams are 2 now. I read somewhere (maybe here on BYC) where a person with Marek's was building resistance by breeding their surviving birds with vaccinated birds added to their flocks. That is what I am attempting and hoping works.

Since I am trying to breed smaller birds (bantams), my large fowl are kept from my bantams and bantam crosses.

What I find curious. is that the only lost three bantam crosses to the disease while the large fowl number is about 15 or 16. In all honesty, they were dropping so fast that I lost count. That leads me to suspect that the birds in this area, probably 60% Amish farms, have built up immunity and resistance to the local strain of the disease. I didn't add bantams until last year, the start of year two owning chickens and I'd already started loosing birds to the disease.

When I stop to consider this it makes me suspect that the local birds are resistant and probably like somebody mentioned, carriers. I never let anyone other than myself or my husband enter my coop or runs nor do I go into anyone else's. That leaves airborne transmission and also proves that no matter how careful you are, it can still reach out and bit you in the backside when you aren't looking.

It's been a real learning experience for me. I told DH this morning that I love my birds but look at them with the knowledge that any one of them could drop dead without warning at any time. Knowing that, I've become a little more relaxed with them and learned to just enjoy them other than worrying every day when somebody sneezes, stays on the roosts a little longer than normal or feels a bit thinner than I would like. Chickens are going to be chickens, they are going to drink out of mud puddles when they have a bowl of clean fresh water sitting nearby. They are going to eat mice and toads whenever they can find one that they can out run and catch, the list goes on. The best I can do is worm them regularly, treat them when they get bumble foot or whatever, give them good food and plenty of fresh water even when there are mud puddles about, hope for the best and expect the worse and that is about all any of us can do with our flocks.

Sorry for the long rant but Marek's is something that can strike any flock at any time. As once said, it is everywhere and no flock is 100% free of it.

The reason they want three years is because of Mareks cancer. There is an increase of that by about 3% in the flock not immunized. It is not that much of a risk though.

Breed the ones that survive the initial outbreak since that is your bigger problem.

 

[Beer can]

The Welsummers I had from Meyer didn't lay the darkest eggs but they had lots of awesome dark spots and everyday different shades and spot patterns, sizes of spots, some days they almost looked like quail eggs.
Pretty birds too.

 

[bruceha2000]

I wonder what the "airborne distance" is for the spread of Mareks.

Here are the eggs I will boil for Easter. The two on the top left, the one on the bottom left and the one on the right 3 up are all from Veronica, 2017 Meyer Welsummer. The rest are EE, BA and WR.

 

[bruceha2000]

It was 80F here yesterday and will be at those temps for a week. I am at work without a coat today!

Would that be "without a suit or sports coat" or "without a 'winter' coat"? 'Cause if it is the second one I sure HOPE you don't need a coat. We might make 50°F today, warm!

 

[ronott1]

Would that be "without a suit or sports coat" or "without a 'winter' coat"? 'Cause if it is the second one I sure HOPE you don't need a coat. We might make 50°F today, warm!

I am wearing a polo shirt and shorts to work today. UC Davis is very casual!