Feeding organic, and not getting my chicks vaccinated.

[book313]

As far as the organic feed thing goes, that is up to you. Why are you considering it? Do you think it may be healthier for you (no GMOS, no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers on the grains that your hens are eating), or that it is better for the grain farmers and the environment? Or a little of both? (I do feed organic feed, but then again I make a living selling USDA Certified Organic eggs).

There is one other thing I would like to throw out there... In my opinion, if you choose to feed organic feed (which will be more expensive), stick with the entire organic program and avoid any antibiotics, chemical dewormers, etc. I see a lot of folks on these forums that say they want to raise chickens for eggs or meat so they know where their food comes from, and that it's all natural and "organic" (whether they know what organic means or not), but as soon as Miss Fluffy Butt shows any kind of problem they are off to the feed store for antibiotics and chemical medications. So, don't negate whatever value that organic feed holds for you by not following the rest of the program...

I am not necessarily 'considering' organic feed. I know that if I get chicks or chickens I will most definitely use organic feed. I have already known this for quite a while, as I myself and my family eat organically...
I plan on eating and feeding my family the eggs the hens will be providing. Knowing that, I will only use organic feed. Plus, I am in full support of my local stores and farmers who are making the organic feed. In fact, I plan on getting my chickens from a local organic farm, and then using there organic feed only. (Except for the treats I will be making homemade!) And although I may not sell my eggs certified, (because we have a porch etc. that is built from pressure treated wood), I may not even consider selling the eggs at all. But it depends on the hens and how frequent they will be laying.

And I fully plan to stick to the program on organic. Although I may not be able to certify because of my porch, I still do plan to follow the 'program'. As I would be already against anything that would not be part of it.

 

[Little Fuzzy]

From what I've learned from this WEB site, most of the real diseases chickens get come from wild birds, not from raising them wrong. Unless you are going to keep your poor chickens locked up in their run all the time, they probably will get exposed to areas of your yard that wild birds come in contact with. I've vaccinated both flocks I have owned during my life and never had a chicken get a disease.

 

[book313]

It is good to know that most likely a disease is 'rare'. Thank you! Hope your flocks are doing well!

 

[gypsyfarmgirl]

I have a huge distrust of vaccinations and GMOs. Basically anything the government encourages and says is good for you I reject.

I did not vaccinate my children or my pets, and I don't my chickens either.

I would love to afford organic feed completely but I can't. I do use organic chick starter for a while. After that I buy whole grains and seeds and sprout them. Not organic, just not GMO. They also get fed table scraps and excess produce from the grocery store and our garden. I wish it was all organic but it isn't.

We haven't lost any to illness (we've had chickens a year). They are mostly penned, but do get some free range time. And the little wild birds come into their yard and clean up after them.

Our only losses have been to predators, and that's been a learning curve.

 

[Paladin]

In the 'for what it's worth' category, I've raised chickens here (relative country, eastern PA) for the past 12 years and in a previous place for about 7 and I have never had any chickens (or ducks, or geese) that were vaccinated and I have never had a disease issue. Chickens get old and die. Now and then one will have a problem with limping, but that's probably old age, too. I have only recently shifted to organic feed and that's because virtually all corn is GMO and the wheat is most likely treated with glyphosate when harvested (unlike the wheat they use to make our flour, mind you) so I don't want that stuff in our food supply either. I don't know what an 'organic chick' is, other than to say our flock is increased by the hatching of eggs from the flock, so there certainly isn't any outside influence on them. If you need starter feed, be sure and get wild game starter because they're not allowed to use medication and drugs and such in that - and it's all I've ever used and we've never had sick chicks.
Mind you, our chickens have a lot of room to range around and forage about in the (unsprayed) orchard and their pasture, so I believe they will naturally eat whatever they need to keep themselves healthy. A nice dry patch where they can dust bathe certainly takes care of lice and such without any intervention on our part. It never occurred to me to worm a chicken! How would you know if one needed worming? Garlic works well on cats, but I'd have to research chickens.
Our job is primarily to give them a nice, safe, place to live as protected from predators as possible and supply them with room to graze and enjoy life. That and some food and water and they will take care of themselves. Chickens are really pretty easy to raise and you don't need lots of fuss and bother with them.

 

[Mary Chapman]

I hatch my chickens eggs. They never get vaccinations. Chicks that have been incubated do not get Mericks disease. They never get medicated food either. The only chick I lost last year was because it got caught in a bad storm because it got under something instead of going inside.