Vaccines ?

[Chicken Woman]

I was on a web page called First state Vet supply. There are some articles that a avian vet has written that are really informative !
He seems to think that we should be vaccinating our chickens for several different things and now IM feeling really stupid as my 7 month old chickens have not been vaccinated for anything !!!!

IM not even sure how to give a chicken a shot ???:

Nor do I think I could !!:|

Laryngotracheitis
Fowl Pox
Bumblefoot
Mareks Disease
Coccidiosis
Fowl Cholera

Do any of you vaccinate your chickens for these diseases ?

 

[mypicklebird]

I would base your decision on what diseases you have in your area, and are they dangerous or life threatening. Timing matters too. Intensive meat and egg producers do more vaccines than the back yard folk, their paycheck depends on fast growth & fewer sick birds that get condemned at slaughter- or lots of eggs. Most of the diseases- even the mild ones will depress egg production or weight gain.

We have Marek's around here, so I vaccinate for that. The vaccine is for day old chicks- the point mostly being to vaccinate before they get exposed I think. It is relatively easy- if you are not leery of needles. You inject 0.2ml under the neck skin or wing web. Having a chicken buddie help you that has done it before is very useful!

Fowl pox is not life threatening (usually)- mostly it is a cosmetic problem, they get immune, the pox goes away. Wet pox is dangerous, but it does not usually show up in that form. I don't vaccinate for this, and still probably wouldn't even if there were pox birds next store.

The ILT vaccine that many people use is from what I know, not nice to the rest of the chicken folk. The live vaccine protects your birds, but makes them into carriers that can get everyone else sick (like at shows, or when you take one of these birds home- and the rest of your flock gets sick). If I got this disease in my flock, I would probably end up culling. Maybe vaccinate the future flock if I could find a vaccine that would both protect my birds, but not risk anyone else's if I ever sold a bird or gave one away.

I don't know squat about fowl cholera & bumblefoot vaccines

Coccidia vaccine is usually used in intensive meat bird houses where they aren't feeding the medicated feed. I use medicated feed in my chicks, so don't vaccinate for this. I probably have it in my yard, as I have dirt....

Hope this helps!

 

[Chicken Woman]

Thanks for answering

 

[silkiechicken]

You don't have to vaccinate for anything, it's up to you. Not really standard... the only one that is common is often mericks, but unless it is common in the area and you are moving lots of birds in and out... you don't really need it.

I've never vaccinated and probably never will.