Vaccinating chicks?

[Shared Acres]

Didn't I read on here that you should have chicks vaccinated?

I have some new little silkies and they are being fed medicated feed.

A couple seem to have bouts where they aren't feeling good. I went up to the feed store and asked about vaccinations. The guy looked at me like I was a moran and told me chickens don't get vaccinations.

I also read on here that someone was giving their chicks teramycin or something like that for their sick babies and the guy said that was too strong for chickens!

 

[silkiechicken]

There is a vaccine for mericks and cocci.

Medicated feed for mericks should be life long and is often unnecessary in small flocks. If it is known to be a problem where you live, then do get it though.

Cocci is a protozoa, medicated feed on a cocci vaccinated bird will nullify the vaccine. Some question the vaccine's effectiveness, as cocci is something all chicks if expose early and without a med can gain a life long immunity to, as it is in all soil and is only bad if the load is too high. Often pet birds get cocci because they are kept in too clean of bators without access to the soil they will be living on till late in life or are overloaded after a heavy rain and the oocysts become activated and ingested.

Giving teramycin or ANY antibiotic without a confirmed case of a BACTERIAL infection is now known to be a big no no. In the past when penicillin was a miracle drug, it was thought to be a cure all. It is now known that bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics and one of the reasons they do not work is not finishing prescribed dosages, dosing when not treating for a bacterial infection and use plain over use. Used as a "preventative" only prevents future infections from being able to be fought as it nullifies the usefulness of antibiotics.

If they are not feeling well, I would look at keeping them warm enough, in a calm place, the type of shavings they have, any mold possible, dampness, weather, and such before medicating for anything. Sometimes silkies can be mellow and "weak" vs some standard types of birds. I had a few this spring with the shakes for the first few days of their lives but are now going on strong. They just had to be in their own brooder.

 

[Shared Acres]

Thanks for the input.

I have 16 babies.

One had a crooked neck thing for at least 30 minutes. After much hand holding it was fine.

I have another one who is opening his mouth alot. He has been doing it for going on 3 days. He is smaller than the rest, but is eating and drinking, however his gullet never feels full or with much of anything in it. He is one of my older ones (almost a week old) but is skinnier than my newborns!

Activity level wise he is running around though.

 

[silkiechicken]

Well, if the oldest is still only a week old, extra care and warmth would be a good idea as they aren't out of the woods from what I'd call "sudden chick death syndrome" yet. If they are all kind of week, perhaps the breeder set for these chicks had some rough times with the heat of the summer that they weren't producing the best eggs? Sometimes poor hatches do happen even from good lines.