about vaccinations

[PunkinPeep]

I'm a newbie, and i got my chicks when they were 3 weeks old. My husband brought them home from the feed store one day - as a surprise. So i had nothing to do with any portion of the transaction, and he didn't really think to ask any questions.

Anyway, the point is that after reading on BYC about Marek's and what-not, i called the feed store to find out whether or not my chicks had been vaccinated at the hatchery.

He asked me to call back later so he could contact the hatchery, and when i talked to him later, he said that he was told that the chicks are not vaccinated unless it appears that something is wrong with them. If they are checked and given a clean bill of health - some sort of certification, he said, then they don't get a vaccine.

Does that make any sense?

Shouldn't they be vaccinated to PREVENT disease?

The guy at the feed store sounds to be about 17 and not too brilliant, so i question anything he tells me, but this specifically sounds weird and doesn't make any sense to me.

Also, what should i be doing to keep them healthy now? It's too late to vaccinate, isn't it? They're 6 weeks old.

Thanks for all your input.

Beth

 

[ChickenToes]

There is no need to vaccinate chickens unless you're really worried that they will catch these diseases. I have a very small flock and I practice good biosecurity, so I don't vaccinate any of my birds. The chances of them getting sick are very slim.

I think you can still vaccinate older birds, but I'm not sure of that. Hopefully someone else will know.

 

[Momo]

Yes, it does sound as though they have the village idiot working at the feed store. Why not call the hatchery yourself and find out? I believe that you can still vaccinate older birds.