Fluffy Feathers & Hairy Heifers Farm

Don’t come around me with that nonsense😂

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So many little babies🫣🥹😍

It's the season of hot takes, so here's mine. We talk a lot about "breeding for resistance" in the poultry world with viruses like Mareks, ALV, Fowl Pox, etc. The vast majority of the breeding community doesn't really understand what that means. It doesn't mean "I don't vaccinate."

Let's take the one most common in the environment as an example - Mareks. Over 80% of adult birds have been exposed and will test positive for Mareks DNA. All of us have Mareks positive birds. 3-4% will ever have symptoms and develop active Mareks disease. Mareks disease is most common before 16 weeks of age, but can be triggered at any age. While there are devastating virulent strains, most are mild with a high percentage being asymptomatic.

Edited to add: there ARE highly virulent strains of Mareks that can and will destroy a flock, even previously resistent or vaccinated adults. These strains are much more rare, and for the purpose of this discussion, we're talking about the common mild strains.

Breeding for resistance means our flocks have carriers, may have even had active disease, and survived. Meaning we WILL and DO have Mareks positive birds, and we hatch from adults who have no symptoms. The best example of a resistent bird we'd want to hatch from is one who was exposed to active disease, developed symptoms, and fully recovered. That's a bird who is resistent to the virus, and their offspring have a higher chance of also being resistent. *We do not have resistence to disease without the presence of disease.*

This is not the same as a breeder who consistently has disease, especially ones like Mareks or ALV that come out when immune compromised. Persistent disease means someone's conditions are not supporting healthy immune systems - overcrowded, dirty, high f***l load in the environment, etc.

Breeding for resistance means living WITH pathogens, not trying to eradicate them at all cost by culling every bird when one gets sick. In order to truly breed for resistance, we have to educate ourselves and know what the heck we're doing. And understand that we'll sometimes have a bird or birds who are NOT resistant. Especially if we bring them from someone else.

The sh*tstorm that arises when someone is found to or shares that they've had disease works actively AGAINST a culture of breeding for resistance. So if we're gonna SAY we do it, then we oughtta get our attitudes and mouths right when we're talking about others. When someone has disease, closing the flock and managing that outbreak is of utmost importance. Once it's contained and active disease is over, our surviving and *healthy* birds are literal immune system gold.

Knowing what I know now, I'd rather bring in birds from someone I know has had active Mareks disease who's birds are vibrant and healthy, than someone who hasn't. How's that for a hot take.

Pics of babies because no one can be sad looking at babies.

& yall wonder why silkies are so expensive 🥲

Just putting this out there. HATCHERY quality pullets are $160.

I love finding babies in the incubator in the mornings 🥹

Karen’s about to be grounded if she don’t stay outta my shavings 🙄😂

I love me a good satin frizzle grow out!!! This baby is coming along so nicely 🤎😍
Please be a hen 😂🩷

I just pulled 94 eggs from my broody hens, 69 of them have babies in them & went straight to the incubator 😂

Morning chores are my favorite part of the day😍

We’re only a little obsessed w/ this chocolate boy🤤🤎

゚

I told my girls to stop being broody but they don’t listen 😒🙄 I pull them out every day & they eat, play in their dirt & then go right back to being broody…they lucky they’re cute😂😂
i found this little cutie this morning tho🤎

Our sweet boy is getting so big🥹
We are so excited for him to come home!💙

FREE 1️⃣2️⃣+ Silkie Hatching Egg G•I•V•E•A•W•A•Y

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I will put everyone's name on a wheel that followed the 3 steps above and draw live Monday 7/22

GOOD LUCK 🍀

Love love love info like this!🩷
Thank you The Bennett Farm!!!

Wow! This makes so much sense!

Our Mooy Christmas Minis setup on the farm🫶🏼

🙏🏻🙏🏻

We love our satin girls🫶🏼

I’ll share it every time!

We went to the Livingston Parish Fair Association today & brought 3 of our babies with us! We took home 2 blue ribbons & 1 red ribbon!
We love our silkies🩷💙

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Hey y’all, It isn’t always evident the worm load your chickens have, and the cold can zap their systems, so this is your friendly reminder to plan on deworming your chickens.

Safe-Guard (fenbendazole) oral drench removes and controls: Stomach worms, Lungworms, Hookworm, Nodular worms, etc. 3cc per gallon of water for two days, it must be their only source of water. Repeat after 14 days.

For the fall, feeding chickens pumpkin seeds is a fun treat and preventative but will not help with an infestation. ACV doesn’t help with worm management, it is an acidifier which helps calcium absorption and lowers gut ph, but is good for bacterial issues and sour crop.

Fenbendazole is not to be used on molting chickens as it causes damage to growing feathers. For molting birds, use Pyrantel Pamoate instead.

Safegaurd: https://amzn.to/46pDWVI