Backyard Poultry Forum

Hi Everyone,
I have also posted this in incubation and rearing, but realised that the more experienced of you might be more inclined to answer if it were here. So its in both

I have a few questions. Was talking to someone in the chook world about buying fertile eggs, and they were very cautious about doing that. The concerns were that eggs can bring various diseases into your flock, so be very careful where you get your eggs from. Apparently just as dangerous as getting in sick chickens.

And if you hatch eggs or have chicks from different breeders, not to have them in the same area (even if they are the same age) as diseases may be an issue again.
Is this practical? We dont have the dream acerage at the moment, and didn't initally see mixing different breed stock (and even different breeds of chicks, let alone different aged chicks) as simplifying the process.

Is this risky practice that has the potential for disease disaster, and therefore the best/ideal practice model? Or is everyones experience and reality very different?

Christine

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I too, like so many here, suffer from OCD - Obsessive Chicken Disorder...

Never had any problems like this and it all sounds a bit silly to me ! Posted eggs should be fairly clean of feces. Dust your eggs with a DRY antibacterial powder if your worried !

Large companies use a fumigation chamber to disinfect the eggs before going into the incubator. I've had the privilege of seeing Ingams system, truly awesome and egg numbers staggering, left me in amazement !

Not somethin to lose sleep over. Only really Marex disease can sustain itself without a live host for any period of time ( it can actually live on a bit of feather fluff for a week or so ) but a light dust and wipe with a dry cloth will sort any fears out.

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Mick

The only disease Ive heard of that can pass from chook to egg is blackhead Which is only really harmful and can cause fatalities to turkey poults. Defects are inherant of course but thats a seperate issue to disease. Mareks would be the only one you would really have to worry about, but as Micki has said it can be delt with pretty easily.

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Sors ventus fortis...Fortune Favours The Brave

I don't know if it's possible ... I think what Micki says makes sense. When in doubt I try to view these issues as an opportunity for my chickens to develop a better immune system. I incubate eggs from other people all the time, and havn't encountered any problems yet.

Good incubator hygeine also... Make sure you clean it after every hatch. As incubators are damp they can grow mould which could make chickens and your family sick, particularly if there is an asthmatic in the house.

Every 3 weeks I give mine a clean even if I have eggs still in there. I take them out in the turner cover them and can have my bator cleaned in less time than a mother hen could have scratch and a poop. Then pop the eggs back in. I don't think a lot of people would recommend this but I have found it best in my situation and my hatch rates since starting this have been great.

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Huney

There's only a very fine eggshell between genius and insanity!!

Generally, hatching eggs should be less of a risk than live birds, if you are referring to the same source of stock. If there is illness in a flock - live birds are the best method to transfer the disease elsewhere.

However, having said that - there are a number of diseases that definitely can be vertically transmitted (ie. through the egg) including Mycoplasma spp. and Salmonella (eg. Salmonella pullorum). Generally, the rate of vertical transmission tends to be relatively low (although it can depend on what stage of infection the hen is at with the disease) eg. in many cases, say less than maybe 5% of eggs from a known infected bird will be infected (again depending on the exact disease organism, and the exact stage of infection). The problem, however, is that when that egg hatches, there the resultant chick will be infected and can potentiall spread to its hatch-mates (horizontal transmission).

The above refers to true vertical transmission (within the egg itself) - there is also the potential for surface contamination - which I think is what is being referred to in terms of cleaning eggs, and risk of transmission of black head.

Cheers,
Htul

some lines of birds are more susceptable to diseases than others. you may bring in a line that cannot cope with the diseases your birds have.

it is all a matter of culling sick birds and breeding for resistance.

i would also try to source eggs from breeders who do not vaccinate or use antibiotics and have bred the same lines for years. this means they have no reason to use such things as the birds are relitively resistant to start.

k

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Good advise as always from K ! Might be hard though to find a supplier of eggs who puts their stock thru the trails of life as you do, to bred that natural resistance in them !

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Mick