Michigan

[Mish]

How do some of you handle poultry health?

Does anyone have vaccination guidelines for chickens? Mareks seems pretty standard, but it has to be done on very young chicks I think. Also I have no idea where / how to buy vaccinations or how to administer them, so to go that route I'd probably need a poultry vet anyway.

What about disease guidelines too? Mareks won't transfer vertically (example chicken to egg) an others do. Some diseases show no symptoms, but birds can be carriers or can recover and be carriers like IB for up to a year later. What diseases do we in Michigan really need to watch out for? Anyone who's experienced or seen this? Is there a one page summary instead of looking up each disease individually?

Fairs require pullorum testing and do not allow sick acting birds. I have a sheet with sick bird symptoms, but are there other ways any of you try to protect your birds?

NPIP testing helps- which ones does/doesn't it cover? (btw, still looking for a local NPIP tester)

 

[tank21107]

Olive Hill

thanks and what do you mean with the abreviations

 

[Opa]

An excellent source of both information and vaccines can be found at www.FirstStateVetSupply.com

 

[Olive Hill]

BA = Black Australorp

BBW = Broad Breasted White

I was curious if those were the breeds pictured.

 

[Olive Hill]

Most injectable chicken vaccinations are administered subcutaneously, eye and nose drops are another common method and there are a couple that can be administered in the drinking water as well. Most vet/livestock supply places carry your common vaccines.

I have never seen a one sheet type of summary of chicken diseases. There are far too many, truth be told, to boil it down to one page, I suspect. But there is so much information readily available for free online that you can easily find and learn about more than you will probably ever truly need to know. And I suppose one could classify the diseases into categories such as respiratory, neurological, etc. to simplify things a bit.

As for how I personally handle chicken health. What all are you interested in knowing? It sounds like you're focusing on prevention and detection for now? I do not vaccinate for anything. I do not use preventative medications -- neither coccidiostats nor antibiotics. I also do not take drastic measures towards pathogen elimination or control. What I do do is use common sense.

-- Chickens coming in are quarantined regardless of their origin - But it came from a fellow BYCer with a clean setup? So what. Every farm, every backyard has its own pathogen footprint. You're bringing in a unique set of "germs" that your flock is not accustomed to dealing with and bringing the new chicken into a new set of germs it is not accustomed to dealing with. Precautions are in order.

-- The flock is selected heavily for 'street smarts' and vigor - Poor doers and those without the smarts to exercise self-preservation are more likely to succumb to illness and disease and then transmit it throughout the rest of the flock. I have no place for them here.

-- I take advantage of prime times for observation - First thing in the morning is the single best time of day to observe your flock. But how many chicken owners are out there at day break opening the door and just being with the chickens? Listen to them breath. Watch them get off the roost, observe their behavior day in and day out. Examine beaks and eyes as the exit the coop. And so on and so forth. Most symptoms can be most readily observed right then, but may dissipate during the day. Which is why so many go missed until it's too late.

-- I provide them with an environment that facilitates health - The chicken fences here are those meant to keep the chickens out of certain areas, none to keep them in. They free-range from dawn to dusk 365 days per year and I truly believe it facilitates health and vigor in the flock. They are able to get an incredible amount of exercise not afforded to penned chickens, for 3/4 of the year they eat as fresh and varied a diet as it gets, pathogen and parasite load is not concentrated in one area, and because they have infinite space to spread out over it greatly reduces the likelihood of stress and confrontation in their relationships with the rest of the flock which I believe increases their immune response -- stress is a known contributor to illness in other species, I see no reason that would not/should not apply to chickens.

-- I have a no returns policy - Live birds that leave here, leave here for good. If I take a bird to a sale or swap and it doesn't sell it comes back dead and goes straight to the freezer. If someone buys a live bird straight from me I tell them I cannot accept it back. Very few exceptions to that policy have ever been made and very few will ever be made.

-- I eliminate and control high risk transmission - I said above that I don't go to extremes with pathogen elimination and control and that's true. I run a small farm and part of that is having visitors in and out to see the animals, gardens, etc. I can't control every little bug. I do however, take the time to be careful about high risk transmission. When we go to a swap, fair, sale, etc. everyone's boots get disinfected when we come home. If I have touched or been near animals of the same species as mine with a coat or gloves on, those get washed before I wear them out to do chores again, etc, etc.

I really think just plain common sense can go a long way. Can bad things still happen? Sure. But they can still happen no matter what you do, so you just have to weigh the risks of each individual scenario for your unique circumstances and make decisions based on that. No one person's practices are going to be right for everyone else.

 

[Opa]

I basically follow the same procedures as Olive Hill

 

[fifelakelooper]

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Olive and Opa....what about deworming?? I have had chickens on and off for several years...never did deworming but have been hearing lately it should be done every fall? If you do...what do you use?
I'm hatching new babies this month and next...I'll be sanitizing my coop but wondered if I should incorporate a worming shedule? All my chickens in the past have been healthy and vigorous...never had problems but my dog has had worms and they have access to the same spaces when I let the chickens roam (usually only an hour or so prior to sundown....rest of time they are in the run area)

 

[Mish]

Good ? about worming Fifelakelooper.. something I also want to know. Olive Hill, your post reminds me of a good tip I heard that I always follow. I have chicken shoes and a coat. These are at the back door and what I always use visiting the chickens. I also have "another farm" or "feed store" shoes. I have a third pair I usually wear.

 

[RIRJen]

Uh Oh....busted out the second incubator today

 

[RIRJen]

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