Salmonella

[jayjay]

Hi all, i am hoping this is the right place to post.
When i brought my hens they had been vaccinated against salmonella. Can anyone tell me if this is a one off vaccination or do you have to repeat every year? Just thinking about the eggs and people eating them.
May sound a silly question but would like some advice if possible please. Chickens are in a school environment. Thank you.

 

[DraigAthar]

I don't believe small flocks are vaccinated for salmonella very often. The vaccine is normally only available in 5000 or 10000 dose bottles, and once you reconstitute them they are only good for a few hours anyway. So it's a little cost prohibitive to buy the vaccine to use on a handful of chickens. Plus I believe the salmonella vaccine has to be given as a series of two or more shots over a period of weeks. So it's not frequently done. And anyway, proper cooking of egg products kills salmonella anyway. It's not as big a problem for hobby farmer as something like Marek's disease (which is much more commonly vaccinated for in small flocks).

 

[jayjay]

Thanks for the advice. Really was not sure wether they were to be done again or not. Many people breed chickens just as a hobby in their gardens and they are fine but just wanted to check.
Thanks again for the info.

 

[chfite]

Whether at home or at school, one should wash hands after handling chickens.

Chris

 

[jayjay]

Thanks, I always insist that all involved with any of the animals wash their hands thoroughly. Everyone loves the chickens and wants to look after them so i make it a golden rule. No one leaves without doing so. lol.