Breeding
There are so many strategies to utilize and techniques to employ when one considers breeding any animal. Working with poultry allows for a quick "turn over" because of the relative young age of maturity and prolific nature of the birds. These are a few of my favourite links:
Breeding of Poultry - The Poultry Guide
Breeding of Poultry - The Poultry Guide
Disease
INFECTIOUS LARYNGOTRACHEITIS
ILT was wrongly thought to be of little consequence in Manitoba, but believe me, it's out there. I dealt with an outbreak in early 2016 after unknowingly purchasing infected birds. It is a reportable respiratory disease primarily of chickens, pheasants and peafowl. If diagnosed with ILT you will hear from the provincial vet who will recommend (or enforce) that you depopulate your farm. There is a vaccine available from Merck (LT-IVAX) that is non-shedding and easy to use (eye drop) which your veterinarian can get for you. It may be available through feed stores that carry vaccines as well. If your poultry activities are risky (attending shows, purchasing from sales/auctions, purchasing unvaccinated chicks or chickens) this is a vaccine you should seriously consider. This virus can quickly kill your young birds or hide in your adult population. Respiratory illness in chickens should never be overlooked and should always be dealt with responsibly. We took the time to deal with this virus properly and our flock is protected and free from disease. For more information please feel free to contact us.
The Poultry Site - Infectious Larygotracheitis
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry - ILT
Merck Vet Manual - Infectious Laryngotracheitis
Government of Queensland Austrailia - ILT
ILT was wrongly thought to be of little consequence in Manitoba, but believe me, it's out there. I dealt with an outbreak in early 2016 after unknowingly purchasing infected birds. It is a reportable respiratory disease primarily of chickens, pheasants and peafowl. If diagnosed with ILT you will hear from the provincial vet who will recommend (or enforce) that you depopulate your farm. There is a vaccine available from Merck (LT-IVAX) that is non-shedding and easy to use (eye drop) which your veterinarian can get for you. It may be available through feed stores that carry vaccines as well. If your poultry activities are risky (attending shows, purchasing from sales/auctions, purchasing unvaccinated chicks or chickens) this is a vaccine you should seriously consider. This virus can quickly kill your young birds or hide in your adult population. Respiratory illness in chickens should never be overlooked and should always be dealt with responsibly. We took the time to deal with this virus properly and our flock is protected and free from disease. For more information please feel free to contact us.
The Poultry Site - Infectious Larygotracheitis
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry - ILT
Merck Vet Manual - Infectious Laryngotracheitis
Government of Queensland Austrailia - ILT
MAREK'S DISEASE
Marek's Disease (MD) is alive and well in Manitoba and it's an important disease of to be aware of. Because of it's ability to display a number of symptoms it can be easy to overlook in your flock. MD is primarily a disease of chickens and can kill chicks with a high rate of mortality or it can linger in your young birds until they reach sexual maturity. It's carried in bird dander which spreads easily though a flock. Chicks that are in contact with adults are at the greatest risk of acquiring the disease and should be kept away from adults or chicks from other farms. It is possible to work with this disease to breed immunity into your flock, but you must be seriously dedicated to the cause. Reduce your risk of this disease by buying chicks that aren't in contact with adult birds and quarantining any new birds you add to your flock.
Merck Vet Manual - Marek's disease
Poultryscience.org
PBS - Marek's vaccine makes virus more dangerous
Cuckoo Poultry Stud of Australia - Mareks Disease
Marek's Disease (MD) is alive and well in Manitoba and it's an important disease of to be aware of. Because of it's ability to display a number of symptoms it can be easy to overlook in your flock. MD is primarily a disease of chickens and can kill chicks with a high rate of mortality or it can linger in your young birds until they reach sexual maturity. It's carried in bird dander which spreads easily though a flock. Chicks that are in contact with adults are at the greatest risk of acquiring the disease and should be kept away from adults or chicks from other farms. It is possible to work with this disease to breed immunity into your flock, but you must be seriously dedicated to the cause. Reduce your risk of this disease by buying chicks that aren't in contact with adult birds and quarantining any new birds you add to your flock.
Merck Vet Manual - Marek's disease
Poultryscience.org
PBS - Marek's vaccine makes virus more dangerous
Cuckoo Poultry Stud of Australia - Mareks Disease
MYCOPLASMA GALLICEPTICUM
Likely the worst news a poultry keeper could hear is that they have Mycoplasma gallicepticum (MG). There is no cure, no vaccine available and this disease affects all species of poultry. It's another virus that spreads easily and can lay dormant in healthy birds until they are stressed (new farm, travel to a show, pecking order stress, temperature extremes) which makes it a disease that's easy to take home if you buy birds from other farms. It may not kill as many of your birds as some of the other viruses, but if you have it on your farm, you are restricted to 2 responsible choices: cull all the birds or close your flock. This disease CAN be transmitted by the hen to the egg (transovarian) infecting the chick before it hatches. There are tests available to determine if you have MG in your birds (contact your vet for info), but again, there is no vaccine.
The Poultry Site - Mycoplasma Gallisepticum
Merck Vet Manual - MG
University of Florida - A Continuing Problem
Likely the worst news a poultry keeper could hear is that they have Mycoplasma gallicepticum (MG). There is no cure, no vaccine available and this disease affects all species of poultry. It's another virus that spreads easily and can lay dormant in healthy birds until they are stressed (new farm, travel to a show, pecking order stress, temperature extremes) which makes it a disease that's easy to take home if you buy birds from other farms. It may not kill as many of your birds as some of the other viruses, but if you have it on your farm, you are restricted to 2 responsible choices: cull all the birds or close your flock. This disease CAN be transmitted by the hen to the egg (transovarian) infecting the chick before it hatches. There are tests available to determine if you have MG in your birds (contact your vet for info), but again, there is no vaccine.
The Poultry Site - Mycoplasma Gallisepticum
Merck Vet Manual - MG
University of Florida - A Continuing Problem
More info and links to come as time allows....