Are barnvelders prone to mareks?

[Ilovechickens2525]

Deciding what hatching eggs to add to cart and I love the sound of barnvelders, cold hardy, docile. But my google search tells me they are prone to mareks… can anyone who has actually raised them and has personal experience tell me if this is accurate or not? Thanks!

 

[nuthatched]

I've never had an issue

 

[LaFleche]

Yes, some breeds like Barnevelders as well as Sebright, Silkies etc. are known to be more receptive to Marek's Disease.

I would have loved to raise them, but because of their susceptibility I chose different breeds.

Egyptian Fayoumi on the other hand are said to be resistant.

 

[Amer]

If Mareks is a problem in your area you have two choices
Vaccinating for Mareks or selecting for resistance.
Selecting for resistance is difficult because it means you have to show no mercy and cull any that succumb to the disease. This is a solution rather than a temporary fix, however for this I would start with vaccinated birds or adult birds so you don't lose the breeders.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

Yes, some breeds like Barnevelders as well as Sebright, Silkies etc. are known to be more receptive to Marek's Disease.

Egyptian Fayoumi on the other hand are said to be resistant.

Sebrights and Silkies are highly inbred with a very small genepool. Fayoumi on the other hand are a landrace with a large genepool

When people artificially select animals for appearance such as the extreme process of creating the Silkie, genes related to health wash away unnoticed

Fayoumi on the other hand were created by nature, so genes related to health were selected above all others

Near universally the most sickly chickens will be highly inbred and the most healthy will be mutts and/or landraces

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

Sebrights and Silkies are highly inbred with a very small genepool. Fayoumi on the other hand are a landrace with a large genepool

When people artificially select animals for appearance such as the extreme process of creating the Silkie, genes related to health wash away unnoticed

Fayoumi on the other hand were created by nature, so genes related to health were selected above all others

Near universally the most sickly chickens will be highly inbred and the most healthy will be mutts and/or landraces

Thank you for this insight! I did know that Silkies were susceptible as well. This makes sense!