vaccines and vets

[amyburemt]

hello,
my husband and I recently bought 40 acres and are looking at the possibility of raising some chickens. Being new to this I want to collect as much information before making the chicken commitment. One of the questions I have regards vaccinations. what do chickens need to be vaccinated against (they will be free range) and does that require a veterinarian or do most people just do it themselves? is there a list somewhere online that shows the frequency and dosages? I am also located in Missouri if that helps.
thanks!

 

[IceAngel]

If you put your question in the "Forum Navigation" box, it will take you to several discussions on vaccinating. I particularly like Momo's comments. I copied her text for you because I don't know how to direct you to the discussion because I am new as well. She seems very knowledgeable but it's always wise to read the entire thread to see alternate view points. Welcome to the site, btw.

Momo stated:

I feel the need to clear up some incorrect information here, as some common misconceptions have popped up. First, vaccines are *not* responsible for the majority of chick deaths. Second, coccidiosis is caused by a protozoan, (a parasite), not a bacteria (cleanliness is still a really good idea though). And third, it is simply not true that once you vaccinate for Mareks you always have to vaccinate.

The Mareks vaccine is a live culture of a related strain of virus which is harmless to chickens but does confer effective immunity to the virulent strains of Mareks. It won't stop them from getting infected but it will stop them from getting sick. Any chicken, whether vaccinated or not, can pick up, harbour and transmit the Mareks virus. The difference is that most unvaccinated chickens will develop debilitating and usually fatal symptoms (tumors, paralysis) and the vaccinated ones will most often be asymptomatic. In other words, if your birds have been vaccinated for Mareks you could have the disease-causing virus in your flock but not know it. Some people keep a few turkeys around because they can harbour a non-virulent strain of Mareks, and exposure to it effectively confers immunity on the youngsters the same way the vaccine does.

I vaccinate for Mareks because after reading that there was no need to vaccinate a small backyard flock, I bought 30 day old chicks and a few months later lost all but 4 of them to the disease. I was told by a poultry veterinarian that Mareks is everywhere nowadays and it's no longer realistic to expect backyard flocks to be out of harm's way. By the way, you can in fact vaccinate older chicks and grown chickens for Mareks (the dosage is the same as for the babies). It won't reverse the course of the disease but will stop new symptoms from developing. The idea behind vaccinating them at one day of age is to allow them to mount an immune response to the vaccine strain before they're exposed to the real thing; otherwise it's a race between the two viruses.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Chickens don't need any vaccinations, but you can use them if you think there is a disease in your area.

If you raise ducks instead you will never need to vaccinate... Just saying!

 

[dawg53]

Chickens don't need any vaccinations, but you can use them if you think there is a disease in your area.

If you raise ducks instead you will never need to vaccinate... Just saying!

x2. They can call their local extension office and find out what poultry diseases are prevalent in their area and vaccinate if they wish. Here where I live, some chicken owners vaccinate for fowl pox.