Vaccinations, etc.

[wvchickenhouse]

Do chickens need vaccinations or worming or shots like other animals do? Just wondering...

 

[SteveBaz]

I am a do as it happens person. Is there a specific reason to ask? In general all chicks that eat a medicated chick feed will take care of most of the issues with chickens. There are worming products and ideas. Vitamins in the water apple cider vinegar in the water but if you use medicated chick feed you dont need the ACV or the vitamins for that matter. Chickens are very simple really.

 

[donrae]

You'll get answers from both sides on that. Personally, I'm a hands-off person who wants to intervene as little as possible and have always had a healthy flock. I don't medicate, worm, vaccinate, use de, anything like that. I try to raise my chickens like Gramma did, and my birds are usually as healthy as Grammas were.

 

[wvchickenhouse]

Thanks guys.... just wondering... no issues at this time, I have a really healthy flock.

 

[aoxa]

If you want to show your chicken's in my area, you have to have them vaccinated.. I will most likely do so in the spring. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Again, it's all a matter of opinion.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It depends on what is prevalent in your area and how you plan to manage them. I spoke to my county extension agent who put me in touch with a professor that teaches chicken diseases at the university. We discussed how I manage mine and what diseases are prevalent in this area. At the end of the day, I did not vaccinate mine and I treat mine when I see a need. Because their conditions are different, others do it differently. Some people worm regularly because they see a need due to their conditions. some vaccinate because their history tells them they need to. And some do things whether there is a need or not.

I don't show mine. If you do, you will need certain testing and probably certain vaccinations. I don't bring in other chickens to add to my flock, except occasionally day old chicks from known hatcheries or I get eggs to hatch myself. Those methods are real safe as far as not transmitting diseases.

I'd say the right answer to your question depends a lot on how you manage them and what you see with them. We all have different conditions.

A note: You need to see what the "medicine" is in the medicated feed. Most of the time it is Amprolium or a similar product. This is targeted directly at Ciccidiosis and nothing else. It does not take care of most issues with chickens. It can help with Coccidiosis issues, nothing else. If there is something in medicated feed other than an Amprolium type product, it can do other things, but most are Amprolium only.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Correct me if I'm wrong, because I didn't use medicated chick feed, but I though the only medication in the feed dealt with preventing coccidiosis. Worms and diseases that can be prevented through vaccination (Mareks, for example) are completely different and not dealt with through medicated feed.

 

[Grants Oasis]

So if we use medicated chick starter does that mean we don't need cocci vaccine & just Marek's vaccine?

 

[Folly's place]

Chicks that I order from hatcheries come vaccinated against Marek's disease, a very good thing IMO. Chicks that hatch here aren't vaccinated, so I always have both in my flock. 'Canaries in the coal mine', and so far no Marek's disease here. It's just not true that 'everyone has Marek's disease in their flock'!
It's prudent to feed amprolium medicated feed to chicks for eight to twelve weeks, at least until you have enough experience with your soil and chickens to see if coccidiosis will afflict your chicks. Many of us don't feed the medicated chick starter, because we haven't had chicks sicken and die from this parasite. As a new chicken owner, I'd use the medicated feed. The coccidia 'vaccine' is actually a small dose of coccidia given to each chick, and one day eating the medicated feed wipes it out. I'd leave that vaccine off my list.
Practicing excellent biosecurity pays off! Also, not having close neighbors who bring home sick chickens.
Showing birds puts them at risk for many diseases, and those birds have more testing and vaccines given. Not happening with my birds!
Mary