Successfully Adding to an ALV Positive Flock?

[ddboersma]

Hello!

I recently received an Avian Leukosis Virus diagnosis for my flock. This is after 12 pullets have died since June.

So far my older flock (12-13 months) have not been impacted, but all my younger ones are being taken out.

I believe it came into my flock from hatching eggs. All 4 of those birds have now passed.

If the dust ever settles, I’m hoping I can still add to my flock one day.

Can anyone tell me what success you’ve had adding to your flock with this diagnosis? If any?

Is it possible with day old hatchery chicks?

I have the A, B and J strains, and so far my experience has been the 15 babies that started living alongside the rest of my flock at 7 weeks old are not making it. I have 3 left that are 26 weeks old now. One of which just died recently.

So I don’t know if it would be better to keep them separated from the flock until much older?

I definitely don’t want to repeat what I’ve gone through with this last group….so I guess I’m just curious what has worked for anyone else.

Thank you!

 

[MysteryChicken]

@azygous

 

[azygous]

OP reached out to me in a private conversation recently. I will post my main reply here so as to launch a discussion with interested members. Questions are welcome.

@ddboersma I'm so sorry you have this in your flock. But of the two, Marek's or LL, I'd rather deal with LL. While it has no vaccine, birds do develop resistance and can live normal healthy lives, and often into very old age. My oldest chickens reached nearly thirteen and fourteen years, and were healthy except for age related issues. Nonetheless, they carry the virus and can infect others. No chickens can be rehomed from an LL flock, and hatching eggs must not be sold.

LL is passed most virulently from hen to embryo in the egg. The mortality rate with this type of transmission is extremely high. All but two birds hatched within my flock died before one year. Yes, cull those young birds that become symptomatic. There is no remission and no cure.

LL is extremely contagious. The virus can be brought into your flock, besides those hatching eggs, on the soles of your foot wear. It's passed from bird to bird in feces and dander and mating. But I've found that introducing baby chicks from a hatchery is the best way to insure birds that will develop resistance.

The exception to raising hatchery chicks to successfully develop resistance is if you happen to have a broody hen adopt the hatchery chicks. Unaware of this danger, a hen in my flock adopted and brooded four chicks, and three became symptomatic. The fourth grew up and is still alive and well, but I believe it survived because it chose not to sleep under the hen. I discovered later when the hen suddenly died that she was symptomatic when she adopted the chicks, but I failed to notice. The chicks got the full impact of her viral shed by sleeping under her. This is a mistake I will not repeat.

Introducing adults to an LL flock can result in the new birds being infected, and tumors often result, yet even these birds often live normal life spans.

The best way to manage an LL flock is to maximize health by keeping feces picked up to reduce bacterial exposure and by feeding the most nutritious food. I feed fermented feed which offers both prebiotics and probiotics. This reduces incidents of illnesses that can tax immune systems, which is the most important defense against chickens becoming symptomatic with LL.

While I'd prefer not to have LL in my flock, it's one of the "easier" viruses to live with.

 

[ddboersma]

Thank you!!

 

[The Broody Bunch]

OP reached out to me in a private conversation recently. I will post my main reply here so as to launch a discussion with interested members. Questions are welcome.

@ddboersma I'm so sorry you have this in your flock. But of the two, Marek's or LL, I'd rather deal with LL. While it has no vaccine, birds do develop resistance and can live normal healthy lives, and often into very old age. My oldest chickens reached nearly thirteen and fourteen years, and were healthy except for age related issues. Nonetheless, they carry the virus and can infect others. No chickens can be rehomed from an LL flock, and hatching eggs must not be sold.

LL is passed most virulently from hen to embryo in the egg. The mortality rate with this type of transmission is extremely high. All but two birds hatched within my flock died before one year. Yes, cull those young birds that become symptomatic. There is no remission and no cure.

LL is extremely contagious. The virus can be brought into your flock, besides those hatching eggs, on the soles of your foot wear. It's passed from bird to bird in feces and dander and mating. But I've found that introducing baby chicks from a hatchery is the best way to insure birds that will develop resistance.

The exception to raising hatchery chicks to successfully develop resistance is if you happen to have a broody hen adopt the hatchery chicks. Unaware of this danger, a hen in my flock adopted and brooded four chicks, and three became symptomatic. The fourth grew up and is still alive and well, but I believe it survived because it chose not to sleep under the hen. I discovered later when the hen suddenly died that she was symptomatic when she adopted the chicks, but I failed to notice. The chicks got the full impact of her viral shed by sleeping under her. This is a mistake I will not repeat.

Introducing adults to an LL flock can result in the new birds being infected, and tumors often result, yet even these birds often live normal life spans.

The best way to manage an LL flock is to maximize health by keeping feces picked up to reduce bacterial exposure and by feeding the most nutritious food. I feed fermented feed which offers both prebiotics and probiotics. This reduces incidents of illnesses that can tax immune systems, which is the most important defense against chickens becoming symptomatic with LL.

While I'd prefer not to have LL in my flock, it's one of the "easier" viruses to live with.

What kind of hatch rate did you have? Did your hens stop laying?

 

[azygous]

What kind of hatch rate did you have? Did your hens stop laying?

I mentioned in my post that the mortality rate was extremely high in fertilized eggs incubated from my LL flock. The average mortality rate was 90% of developing embryos died before they hatched. Of those that did hatch, death occurred in the first year. Only two or three lived past one year.

The virus does not affect egg laying. Hens carrying the leucosis virus lay normally. The virus does not affect humans that consume the eggs.