? about vaccines & hatching your own chicks

[Poison Ivy]

What does everyone do about vaccines? Do you give your chicks the vaccine for mareks & coccidiosis? I always get the chicks done as day olds when I order them. But now that I'm hatching them from home should I buy the vaccines and do them myself? What do you guys think I should do?

 

[justusnak]

As long as you feed them the medicated feed....they wont need injections. At least, I dont think so. I never have, and we have hatched quite a few. Just medicated feed....they will be fine.

 

[jackiedon]

I called the county extension office about that because most of the 4-H kids were getting their chickens through the poultry chain and the extension office was giving them water to give them. The had me to call the state poultry commissioner and he told me if it was him he wouldn't worry about it. You can order it from Jeffers. He said they would do a prick test at the fair to test the birds but he wouldn't worry about it.

jackie

 

[silkiechicken]

I've not vaccinated any chicks nor do I vaccinate any I hatch... even raised some without medicated feed. They do fine. Just keep up on cleaning.

 

[greyfields]

The coccidiosis vaccine is really dubious. It's only shown to have marginal results over not vaccinating. The reason you've seen a surge in the use is that organic rules allow you to vaccinate, but not medicate.... so you've seen a lot of people going with the vaccine recently. However, it's really not a prevention, or only a marginal defense at best.

I hatch layers for my neighbors out here. I haven't vaccinated yet, however, I will be within the next year. It's cheap insurance.

Get, it? Cheap? Cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap ......