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nachoqtpie
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hmmmmmm
You know what I hate about ordering chickens??
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897tgigvib
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I'm beginning to learn a bit about chickens reading this!
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nachoqtpie
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You and me both Marshall... 
desertlady
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same here I never gave my chickens vaccinations. You just have to keep your distants from other poultry farms. you will do ok.nachoqtpie said:
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nachoqtpie
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Well... the neighbors have some guinea hen that roam.. but they've never jumped our fence before.... and the other neighbor up the street also has poultry. Their little girl and my little girl are friends, but I don't allow her to go out back with the animals for fear that she will transfer a disease... not that her animals are diseased... just being cautious. 
desertlady
Attractive To Bees
You should be fine as long you dont handled their hens too much. Clean pens also helps.nachoqtpie said:Well... the neighbors have some guinea hen that roam.. but they've never jumped our fence before.... and the other neighbor up the street also has poultry. Their little girl and my little girl are friends, but I don't allow her to go out back with the animals for fear that she will transfer a disease... not that her animals are diseased... just being cautious.
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nachoqtpie
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I try to keep the duck pen as clean as possible.. but it never seems like that's good enough... LOL I go out a couple times a week with a rake and try to rake up poo. There is still grass in there tho, so I don't want to tear that out.
Ridgerunner
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I spend way too much time on the Chicken forum.
Mareks is a disease that causes the chickens to grow lesions. These can be on joints, internal organs, or about anywhere, though certain Mareks tend to grow in certain places. If the lesions grow on internal organs, it can kill them. If they grow on the neck or maybe legs, it can cripple them so they cannot eat or drink so they die if thirst or starvation. Mareks can have a devastating effect on a flock or it may not bother then that much. It depends on where the lesions grow.
The vaccine they use for Mareks in chickens is actually Turkey Mareks. That vaccine does not prevent Mareks but it prevents the lesions from growing. The chickens can still get Mareks and give Mareks to other chickens, but they will not show any symptoms. Chickens cannot give turkey Mareks to each other. I really doubt that guinea could give Mareks to your chickens but I have not researched that.
Mareks is spread by the wind. The chickens are constantly losing skin and that flakes off. Its called dander. If one chicken in your flock has Mareks they all have Mareks.
Before I got chickens I called my county extension agent who lined me up with the professor at the University of Arkansas that teaches chicken diseases. The U of Arkansas is one of the top three poultry science schools in the country, mainly because Tyson is headquartered here and heavily funds the program. That professor is also on the task force that investigates poultry disease outbreaks in this area. This area produces a lot of chickens and turkeys and they take poultry diseases seriously. Thats big money to the economy.
Anyway, I found out that there had been one reported case of Mareks in this county in the previous two years. I realize not all cases are reported, but that did not seem like a huge risk to me. I got my first ones from Cackle. They only charged ten cents per chick for the vaccination, but there was a $10 minimum. You had to get over 100 chicks before the ten cents per chick kicked in. With that $10 I elected to get 5 more chicks instead of getting them vaccinated.
I have no idea what the occurrence of Mareks is in your part of the country. If it is fairly prevalent, getting them vaccinated is probably a very good idea. If there is not much Mareks around, maybe it is less important.
For the vaccine to be effective, it has to be given a few days before they are exposed to chicken Mareks. That is not going to happen with me since I often have a broody hatch eggs. If you hatch in an incubator and keep them isolated in a brooder for a few days, it can work.
I cant tell you how important it is for you to get the chicks vaccinated. Many, many, many people do not and do OK. If you have a history of Mareks in your flock, it is a real good idea.
Mareks is a disease that causes the chickens to grow lesions. These can be on joints, internal organs, or about anywhere, though certain Mareks tend to grow in certain places. If the lesions grow on internal organs, it can kill them. If they grow on the neck or maybe legs, it can cripple them so they cannot eat or drink so they die if thirst or starvation. Mareks can have a devastating effect on a flock or it may not bother then that much. It depends on where the lesions grow.
The vaccine they use for Mareks in chickens is actually Turkey Mareks. That vaccine does not prevent Mareks but it prevents the lesions from growing. The chickens can still get Mareks and give Mareks to other chickens, but they will not show any symptoms. Chickens cannot give turkey Mareks to each other. I really doubt that guinea could give Mareks to your chickens but I have not researched that.
Mareks is spread by the wind. The chickens are constantly losing skin and that flakes off. Its called dander. If one chicken in your flock has Mareks they all have Mareks.
Before I got chickens I called my county extension agent who lined me up with the professor at the University of Arkansas that teaches chicken diseases. The U of Arkansas is one of the top three poultry science schools in the country, mainly because Tyson is headquartered here and heavily funds the program. That professor is also on the task force that investigates poultry disease outbreaks in this area. This area produces a lot of chickens and turkeys and they take poultry diseases seriously. Thats big money to the economy.
Anyway, I found out that there had been one reported case of Mareks in this county in the previous two years. I realize not all cases are reported, but that did not seem like a huge risk to me. I got my first ones from Cackle. They only charged ten cents per chick for the vaccination, but there was a $10 minimum. You had to get over 100 chicks before the ten cents per chick kicked in. With that $10 I elected to get 5 more chicks instead of getting them vaccinated.
I have no idea what the occurrence of Mareks is in your part of the country. If it is fairly prevalent, getting them vaccinated is probably a very good idea. If there is not much Mareks around, maybe it is less important.
For the vaccine to be effective, it has to be given a few days before they are exposed to chicken Mareks. That is not going to happen with me since I often have a broody hatch eggs. If you hatch in an incubator and keep them isolated in a brooder for a few days, it can work.
I cant tell you how important it is for you to get the chicks vaccinated. Many, many, many people do not and do OK. If you have a history of Mareks in your flock, it is a real good idea.
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nachoqtpie
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Well.... I don't have a flock other than ducks. These will be our first chickens.
There are quite a few CAFOs around, but, none within a 3 mile radius to us I do believe (there is one... but I think it's hogs not chickens.... even that one is about a mile away tho.) The rest I believe are chickens and turkeys. Do you think that is enough distance to keep them safe? I'm not particularly worried about the neighbors... they're all really healthy birds. They're almost all older juvies and adults now.
There are quite a few CAFOs around, but, none within a 3 mile radius to us I do believe (there is one... but I think it's hogs not chickens.... even that one is about a mile away tho.) The rest I believe are chickens and turkeys. Do you think that is enough distance to keep them safe? I'm not particularly worried about the neighbors... they're all really healthy birds. They're almost all older juvies and adults now.
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I'm a little surprised Meyer couldn't add the Marek's vac to your order as they aren't shipping till next week. They give it the day of the hatch so all I can't think of is they don't have enough on hand which is still kind of odd.
Other than my first chick order which was through my local feed store who deals exclusively with Townline here in MI, I have gotten all my chick orders from Meyers and really like doing business with them. I've got a second order (my original, made in January) coming the week after yours. I'm getting Dominiques, blue laced red wyandottes, dark cornish and 3 buckeyes. I've had their buckeyes before and really liked them. Nice birds. Had a great rooster till the fox got him. They must have been really popular this year because 3 was the max I could order so I went with all pullets. Figure I'll keep a rooster from the dark cornish or the BLRW. (although since I could only get 4 of those and I chose straight run, I could get 4 roosters or 4 hens!)
But I went a little nuts in March deciding I couldn't wait for fresh eggs till October and ordered what they had available for the first week of April which turned out to be their Golden Buffs and Blue Andalusians. Here's photos of them at 7 weeks of age.
those are the GBs, the white ones are roosters and will go to freezer camp.
and the BAs
I'm going to have close to 50 chickens.
Other than my first chick order which was through my local feed store who deals exclusively with Townline here in MI, I have gotten all my chick orders from Meyers and really like doing business with them. I've got a second order (my original, made in January) coming the week after yours. I'm getting Dominiques, blue laced red wyandottes, dark cornish and 3 buckeyes. I've had their buckeyes before and really liked them. Nice birds. Had a great rooster till the fox got him. They must have been really popular this year because 3 was the max I could order so I went with all pullets. Figure I'll keep a rooster from the dark cornish or the BLRW. (although since I could only get 4 of those and I chose straight run, I could get 4 roosters or 4 hens!)
But I went a little nuts in March deciding I couldn't wait for fresh eggs till October and ordered what they had available for the first week of April which turned out to be their Golden Buffs and Blue Andalusians. Here's photos of them at 7 weeks of age.
those are the GBs, the white ones are roosters and will go to freezer camp.
and the BAs
I'm going to have close to 50 chickens.
