vaccinations?

[muddipuppy]

If you hatch your own chicks do they need to be vaccinated?

 

[ShaggysGirl]

Great question. I'd like to know too.
I think since all my others have come from the hatchery and had the Marek vaccination that I probably should do any of their offspring.. I think

 

[Judy]

If you are in the US, ask your county extension agent what is recommended for your locale.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Ddawn makes a great point. Whether or not to vaccinate is a very local and personal decision. Your county extension agent can give you some good info on what is prevalent in your area. Whether or not you vaccinate and what you vaccinate for should depend on how you manage your chickens also. Are you keeping a closed flock so the exposure is limited or are you showing your chickens in competitions or taking them to the county fair. Do you bring in chickens from other farms when you need replacements?

I chose not to vaccinate after discussing it with a veterinarian associated with the extension office about local conditions. If I lived where certain others on here do that have Marek's in their area, I would not have a chicken unless it had been vaccinated.

The vaccination for Marek's does not prevent Marek's. It prevents the damaging lesions from forming. A chicken that has been vaccinating can still catch Marek's and can shed the virus that infects other chickens. Vaccinating a chicken for Marek's does not give your chicken Marek's and does not cause it to be a carrier of the disease.

We have been discussing Marek's. You need to talk to your extension agent because there may be other things in your area you want to vaccinate against. As I said, the decision is very local.