Routine Vaccination Question

[moonlitfarms]

To vaccinate birds do you just give the electrolyte/vaccine powder, the kind you add to their water, and how often do you do this? Is this the only disease control you should do? I did this for my birds when I purchased them but not sure how often to do this.

 

[Rosalind]

Can you give more info about what you are vaccinating for?

Different vaccines are dosed differently. Some are injections, not oral. They are generally given at specific ages. Vaccines are useful for many things, but there are no vaccines for some diseases, so you must instead be vigilant about cleanliness, other animals on the property, new additions to the flock, etc.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

There are plain electrolyte powders or vitamin powders you can mix and give to chicks after they have been shipped. These things just help the chicks to recover from the trip and aren't needed again, as long as they are healthy. That's all I've ever used, along with adding sugar to their water the first day.

 

[moonlitfarms]

ok, maybe my question needs reworked. What should I do to vaccinate my birds, and how often? I do keep my coop clean, and just changed over this weekend to the DLM. I also keep my birds and goats seperate. But I don't know anything about bird vaccination.

 

[silkiechicken]

If you don't have a history of chicken diseases in your area, vaccines are not necessary. They aren't like your cat or dog.

 

[moonlitfarms]

ok, that makes sense. i just wanted to be prepared and make sure my birds are getting all they need. I never would have thought chickens were such neat pets, but I have became very attached and want the best for my girls.

 

[Rosalind]

As someone else said, you need to find out if there are any diseases prevalent in your area. For example, I bought my property from a guy who kept chickens, and the neighborhood folks remember chickens being on this property for decades. So, there probably are many chicken diseases on the property, which could have a reservoir in the local songbirds. I discussed what vaccines I should give with an avian vet at the local vet school. It wasn't too hard, except the fowlpox one that went in the wing-webbing.