Do you guys vaccinate your chickens?

[teresahfallin]

Hi!
I have 4 lovely Rhode Island Red hens, total spoiled pets for 2 years now. They reside in our coop and large fenced back yard area. I wonder, should I be vaccinating/medicating these ladies? Do you guys provide preventative medications/supplements to your flock?
I currently provide organic feed crumbles, oyster shell, scratch grain, meal worms as snack and various safe fruits and vegetables.
Thank you so much for any input!
I am finally registered to this site; it has been my source of chicken education for the 2 years that I have been a chicken keeper!

 

[adickenscoop]

The only vaccine that would have been beneficial is the Mareks disease vaccine. However, that is only effective if given when they are first hatched. Other then that, the best thing you can do is keep their area clean, protect them from getting too hot or cold, and limit any exposure to stressors.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! Commercial, very large operations will have their pullets vaccinated for a number of diseases. People who show their birds also may vaccinate for multiple diseases. The rest of us, small farm or small backyard owners, generally either do no vaccinations, or have chicks vaccinated against Marek's disease at the hatchery. I do that. If there's a fowl pox outbreak nearby, vaccinating against that can help.
There's no reason to vaccinate adults against Marek's disease, only day old chicks, who then need to be isolated from their new flock for two weeks, so the vaccine has time to work.
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do you guys provide preventative medications/supplements to your flock?

Hi, welcome to the forum!

I do not vaccinate. Before I got my first chickens when I retired and could get chickens my extension agent hooked me up with a chicken disease expert. I grew up with chickens but that was a different world. That expert was on the team that investigated all chicken disease outbreaks in that area. After discussing how I planned to manage them and what diseases had been observed in that region I decided there was no reason to vaccinate mine. If something like Marek's had been prevalent in that area I might have decided differently. It's a personal choice and we all have different situations.

Instead of relying on medications I try to strengthen their immune systems by exposing them to their environment as young as I can. I do not raise my chickens in a sterile environment. My brooder is in the coop so they are exposed from hatch. I feed them some dirt from the run on their second or third day in the brooder, then every few day after. That gets them started on any flock immunities they may need, gets grit into their system, and introduces them to any probiotics the adults may have. I try to keep the brooder, coop, and run as dry as I reasonably can.

I regularly check for mites, lice, and worms. I've never found any so I've never treated for them. If I had a need I would treat them but I see no reason to try to develop disease-resistant parasites just because I can.

Your hens are already two years old. Most vaccines need to be given at hatch to be effective, fowl pox may be an exception. Fowl pox is spread by mosquitoes, if there is an outbreak near you it may be worthwhile. But in general, I don't see any upside to you trying to vaccinate then now.

 

[teresahfallin]

Thank you guys so much!

 

[animallover2019]

Hi!
I have 4 lovely Rhode Island Red hens, total spoiled pets for 2 years now. They reside in our coop and large fenced back yard area. I wonder, should I be vaccinating/medicating these ladies? Do you guys provide preventative medications/supplements to your flock?
I currently provide organic feed crumbles, oyster shell, scratch grain, meal worms as snack and various safe fruits and vegetables.
Thank you so much for any input!
I am finally registered to this site; it has been my source of chicken education for the 2 years that I have been a chicken keeper!

i only do mine as chicks, and the only one i do is the mareks!

 

[Jasperina]

Hi!
I have 4 lovely Rhode Island Red hens, total spoiled pets for 2 years now. They reside in our coop and large fenced back yard area. I wonder, should I be vaccinating/medicating these ladies? Do you guys provide preventative medications/supplements to your flock?
I currently provide organic feed crumbles, oyster shell, scratch grain, meal worms as snack and various safe fruits and vegetables.
Thank you so much for any input!
I am finally registered to this site; it has been my source of chicken education for the 2 years that I have been a chicken keeper!

 

[Jasperina]

I had two chickens die of Mareks disease and it was very sad. I got them from a private breeder and was not aware they were not vaccinated. That is the only chicken vaccine I know of, and I will always make sure any new ones I get have had it.