Hi all, have just finished building my first coop for the backyard, and am now in the market for some chickens here in New Zealand. Have come across one lady with 21 week old hens which are just starting to lay eggs. If we are wanting organic/free range eggs, would I be best to find some hen's that aren't vaccinated? Do chickens mandatorily have to be vaccinated. There isn't much risk of anything in our backyard, no predators or anything. Any help you can give would be much appreciated. Should I ask this lady perhaps to raise some chicks vaccine-free or will the majority of chickens that I come across be vaccinated?
I don't know much about New Zealand. But I don't think chickens have to be vaccinated against anything (unless you start shipping out of country maybe). It is your choice. Chickens can get diseases from wild birds. Generally though if they are kept well (which includes sanitary condition, NO OVERCROWDING, appropriate food and water supply and no excessive heat) they should not get sick. Chickens are prone to get sich if they are "stressed" in any way. Be extremely vary of introducing an outsider bird into your flock though. Many a chicken owner has brought illness into a healthy flock by adding an outside bird. You absolutely must quarantine new birds for at least 4 weeks. Illnesses can also be brought in by you or visitors if you/they have been anywhere near sick poultry. You can ask you neighbor for freshly hatched chicks. They are easy to raise and it's fun to watch them grow. Just read up in the forum on raising chicks. Good luck and welcome to the fun!
I'm a strong advocate of vaccinations--you would need to determine the prominent diseases in your area that you can vaccinate for. I have read, that in the US, chicks are not considered organic until the second day of life and that is to allow for the vaccinations on day one. I hope this gives you a starting point to research further. GL
