What would you do?

[Cyprus]

When a predator kills your entire breeding flock?
A predator destroyed my adult D'Uccle breeders last night. My efforts for 3 years to have adults to breed, gone. Every time I got close, I would lose the rooster. This time I lost the male before I could even breed him.
I have two young D'Uccle chicks, possibly full siblings, growing up in the garage. A pair.

But there is more.
I may have Marek's on my property. The babies have not come in contact with any other chickens.
I leave for college in the fall.
Do I give up breeding?
Do I keep this pair and work with them? I have a good relationship with their breeder and can get eggs for free or buy chicks.
Do I sell the young pair? I don't want to keep them if I can't breed them.

What would you do in my shoes?
Cyprus

 

[rosemarythyme]

That's tough. The line that caught my eye the most though was I leave for college in the fall. Is anyone else in the household interested in chickens or breeding them? Or what was the plan once you started college?

I think you should concentrate on school first, especially if you're moving away too. If someone in the household is involved too, then talk to them about it and see if this is something they'd want to continue even without your constant involvement.

If you possibly have Mareks on the property, how were you planning to handle that? Were you planning to show birds, sell them, etc? Thankfully I haven't had to deal with Mareks yet, but I can't imagine it'd be easy to sell birds that have possibly been exposed.

 

[Cyprus]

That's tough. The line that caught my eye the most though was I leave for college in the fall. Is anyone else in the household interested in chickens or breeding them? Or what was the plan once you started college?

I think you should concentrate on school first, especially if you're moving away too. If someone in the household is involved too, then talk to them about it and see if this is something they'd want to continue even without your constant involvement.

If you possibly have Mareks on the property, how were you planning to handle that? Were you planning to show birds, sell them, etc? Thankfully I haven't had to deal with Mareks yet, but I can't imagine it'd be easy to sell birds that have possibly been exposed.

My youngest brother is interested, but he is also the worst at handling losses.
I was going to do live tests on multiple birds in my flock for Marek's.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd see about figuring out the Marek's situation first. If the birds turn out to be clear then maybe breeding could still be an option. Or maybe your brother can just keep them as pets, not sure if that's something he'd like to do.

You'll obviously need to shore up predator protection if you or your brother are planning on keeping them though.

 

[RonP]

Don't neglect your efforts to protect your flock...
Fortify your defenses so history will not repeat itself.
Hope this helps.

 

[336White Phoenix]

FIRST- I'd get the whole Marek thing sorted out before u sell as u sould NEVER sell birds with diseases
SECOND- if they come up total clean then consider selling them if ur brother hasnt the heart to deal with lose (which I know is very difficult to lose birds and I myself shead a silent tier or 2 when loosing breeding birds)
THREE- Do well at college and always aim high
FOUR- If u still want to have birds then consider getting more

And this is my opinion but do keep use updated on what happens

 

[Morrigan]

First of all, I'm sorry about your predator issues and your loss of birds that you obviously cared a great deal about.

You've gotten some good advice. The live testing for Mareks is important to understand what all your options are. But, regardless, if I were in your shoes, I would set aside the breeding plans for now, and put my focus on college. Your education is extremely important and you have the rest of your life to breed chickens.

That means looking for a good home for your remaining pair. Ideally, your brother would raise them as pets. If he is not up for that, I would test them for Mareks and, assuming the test is negative, sell them to someone. Even then, I would sell them with full disclosure of why they were tested and the test results.

These are not easy decisions, but I know you will make good ones. Best of luck.