To Incubate or Order. . .that is the Question

[2150MormonRd]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Hearing someone say ordering chicks are easier was really something I needed. I can isolate them for four weeks easily and ramp up the security measures. I think also it will give me more control over what I select.

 

[LizzzyJo]

I am so sorry that this happened to you. A few thoughts...

1. While it is prevalent, it is not in everyone's flock. There are ways to avoid it which involve high levels of biosecurity and - very often - less 'fun and instant gratification' like trading hens with unknown people and rescuing hens.
2. Mareks is in your ground now and will be for a very long time (years past the last chicken).
3. I suggest you only buy vaccinated chicks until the infected chickens (exposed, unvaccinated) that you have now have all passed - even if this is 10 years. After a good amount of time (I've heard 1-2 years) have passed without them in the flock, then you can think about hatching and consider yourself Mareks free (maybe).

**Please do not rehome any chickens from your flock or any that you hatch. Please.**

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I'm a 10 mo. backyard chicken mom. Nine girls. Six at 10mo, 3 at 6mo. In November, I lost my favorite Cream Legbar at 20 weeks to visceral Marek's (confirmed by necropsy). All of my flock came from local breeders so they were unvaccinated. The State Vet and I chatted at length when Iris was euthanized because I really want more chickens and everything I was reading was a doomsday report. She told me that at about a year old if I hadn't lost anyone else (and they are all healthy as horses) then it should be ok to add more.
I really want the experience of incubating and hatching. Since I don't have a roo, I thought to purchase fertile eggs. That's when I remembered her suggestions that further chickens should be vaccinated ones. What I have been reading though it says its so prevalent and so hard to get rid of that it doesn't matter. They could all drop dead in a year or never.
I have no way to abandon a 1K+ coop and run and build elsewhere on my neighborhood lot. And culling my girls is not an option.

So....hatch babies and take chances? (I'd be keeping them indoors till 4 to 5 weeks old) or order vaccinated chicks and give up on the incubation experience?

To complicate matters...I'm in love with Heritage and rare breeds...and Icelandics.

Thoughts?

If you order, you’ll get 90% girls.
Hatch...60% boys because that’s just how it works.

 

[NatJ]

3. I suggest you only buy vaccinated chicks until the infected chickens (exposed, unvaccinated) that you have now have all passed - even if this is 10 years. After a good amount of time (I've heard 1-2 years) have passed without them in the flock, then you can think about hatching and consider yourself Mareks free (maybe).

Probably not quite.
The vaccinated ones can still get the disease, carry it, and spread it.
The vaccine just makes them less likely to show symptoms, and less likely to die.

As long as chickens are continually present, Mareks will also be present--regardless of whether those chickens are vaccinated

 

[LizzzyJo]

Probably not quite.
The vaccinated ones can still get the disease, carry it, and spread it.
The vaccine just makes them less likely to show symptoms, and less likely to die.

As long as chickens are continually present, Mareks will also be present--regardless of whether those chickens are vaccinated

Very interesting. It is such an unfortunate disease. Thank you for the update. I was just thinking about the ground clearing, but not considering the carrying of the disease.

 

[Folly's place]

Another option would be to fall in love with ducks...
Mary

 

[Mrs. K]

Nothing to do with Mareks - but once I got a pretty darn nice, high bred rooster because this woman wanted Beilfelder breed. She paid a pretty penny for a dozen eggs. 8 hatched and ALL WERE BOYS. Just saying...

Mrs K

 

[2150MormonRd]

Another option would be to fall in love with ducks...
Mary

I actually wanted ducks to begin with but a friend alerted me to the poop, more mud and poop than I'd ever know how to deal with. Lol. I decided not. And turkeys seemed interesting until I learned about blackhead.
Chickens are it for now.

 

[Erin80]

We ordered and we are going to hatch....which is stupid because last year we hatched out literally 90% cockerels. Guess I didn’t learn my lesson! Haha. Hatching is fun for the kids (and me!), so we will just do a couple small batches.

 

[0wen]

I lost my first flock of birds to Marek's. Years ago before I had any real experience keeping birds. My wife decided to rescue a silkie and nurse it back to health. Obviously a big mistake and a costly lesson learned. After watching several birds succumb to Marek's, we de-populated the rest of the flock. We've vaccinated ever since (exception discussed later) and don't bring any live birds onto our farm.

Fast forward years later and we had a bird we bought from MPC develop Leukosis and again, we de-populated. That has been several years and since then, we only hatch our own eggs. We got our initial stock from Dick Horstman (mostly) mixed with a few local eggs to make the kids a small fun egg flock (EE's Svart Hona, etc).

I'm in the opposite camp in that I think for the long run, it's better to start hatching your own birds and getting comfortable with the vaccination process. It's simple and one the first time squeamishness and nerves are out of the way, it goes pretty quick.

I cant find the link presently, but at the time had been told Marek's can stay on the property for a year or 2. My current mutt flock, I chose not to vaccinate to test for the presence of Marek's as a precaution (mind you, this is 7 or 8 years later). They're all alive and well so confident there isn't an active strain of Marek's present. We still vaccinate our birds as a precaution and I recommend doing the same.

On 'Marek's Disease resistant birds.' Mostly myth. It's possible, with decades of generations. Fortunate enough to be close to a couple of universities with good agriculture, livestock, and poultry programs. He's the quote I tend to believe when someone tries to sell my on the idea of Marek's resistant birds. (the bold is a headline of common myths and misconceptions, not advice)

1. Don't vaccinate birds so that the survivors will become resistant. Genetic disease resistance takes decades to develop and so far, has not been successful with Marek's Disease. If it were successful, one would think the commercial chicken genetic companies would have developed resistant chickens by now.