Vaccinations for Chickens

[Milly]

This sounds like a silly question, but here goes......
I wanted to buy vaccinated chickens, but, how do I know they have been vaccinated, is it by trust only?

When dogs are vaccinated there's a vaccination card signed by a vet.
If a seller advertisers the poultry as vaccinated are there any questions I should be asking?

[Cate]

Hi Milly,
what are the vaccinations you would like your girl to have? I am asking because I am planning to buy chicken and I have also not understood what is good to have in terms of vaccinations..
Thanks
Ciao
Cate

[HenPen]

Not sure if this helps, but the place I got mine had a website and on that you could click a link which told you what vaccinations their chickens underwent, at what age and how the vaccinations were administered. This is the page -


I wonder if you can ask wherever you get yours from for similar info or check if they have it on a website?

[Milly]

Thank you that's helpful, looks like it's all on trust though and any seller could say they're vaccinated.

[lancashire lass]

Thank you that's helpful, looks like it's all on trust though and any seller could say they're vaccinated.

well yes and no - don't forget that a seller may be supplying businesses with stock, so lying would be financial suicide. Most hybrids I would say undergo the vaccination programme whereas pure breeds may not except for the basics such as against Mareks disease and Newcastle Disease. A small specialised breeder may not have any programme at all.

[Milly]

I meant the small scale local sellers that advertise on sites such as these or on poultry Facebook pages, I don't know any large scale breeders.

[Totally Scrambled]

From that list of vaccinations could you ask a vet if they are available in small doses to the general public?
I ask because as far as I'm aware vaccinations for chooks are only available in dose batches of hundreds if not thousands and so are only used by large scale breeders who produce thousands of chicks at a time for the egg producing trade.
Dom

[lancashire lass]

I meant the small scale local sellers that advertise on sites such as these or on poultry Facebook pages, I don't know any large scale breeders.

Sorry, a bit of a misunderstanding - even some of the "small" scale local sellers may have obtained their hybrid stock from large scale breeders. The chickens I got from the local poultry seller in Derbyshire (and is listed in the DTL section), are shipped in regularly from large scale breeders. This is their statement:

All of our hybrid pullets are reared to the best possible welfare standards, are fully vaccinated and have full traceability.

We have new batches of birds every month, although a limited stock is usually available during the winter months.

From another much closer local (small) chicken supplier:

Reared in the Devonshire countryside, these pullets have had the freedom to range on pastures managed without the use of artificial fertilisers or pesticides. They are not de-beaked, have not received routine antibiotics, or genetically modified material. Although vaccinated for Mareks and Infectious Bronchitis, the emphasis is placed on building up a natural immunity from outdoor living, assisted by homeopathic remedies. From day old until we receive our birds, they have been reared to Soil Association Organic Standards, we continue to feed organic meal and use only organic tonics and supplements

So the hybrid chickens you get are not necessarily reared by the seller. Pure breeds on the other hand would be different.

[Benny&Co]

Hi Milly

The place where we got our girls from gave us a card detailing what vaccinations they've been given. It's not signed by a vet though.

[Skeksis]

None of my hens are vaccinated but I am extremely careful from whom I buy. You need to be careful mixing vaccinated and non vaccinated hens as some vaccines use a live virus etc which could be harmful to non vacinnated hens

[Milly]

Thank you for the info

[Richard]

Hi,


Just worth noting that Battery Hens have been vaccinated.


Richard

[manda]

Vaccines are usually only valid for a year ....I don't vaccinate either but mainly because I don't buy in I breed my own and a vaccination program is actually something that needs a lot of thought.

All battery hens are vaccinated and whilst the vaccines do have a half life and in most large scale poultry farming situations they will be topped up during the laying period. So even older hens will possibly still have live vaccine....so even getting them as older hens the chances are they will still have a live vaccine load.

It would be a good idea to talk to your vet re the latest info re vaccines and what they think about it....because if you have vaccinated hens and then when they're say 18 months old get some more in you could be putting the older hens at a slight risk (because there is a slight risk) as the vaccine will no longer be effective....like I say double check with your vet.

[Milly]

Is it important to buy vaccinated hens then or do people not usually

Sorry for all the questions, it must be the nurse in me that made me look into it.

[Richard]

Interesting and and thanks Manda, points I didn't know.

If they've been vaccinated, most Breeders will say so as a selling point.

If Breeders say they have, do you get some documentation to say they are does anyone know?

Finally, maybe not the same in NZ Manda but are we saying that Battery Hens have vaccinations which would probably only last their expected lifetime of just over one year?

My point was that if you have ex-Batts and introduce Breeds, you would have to make sure the Breeds are vaccinated as well.

Bit of a minefield isn't it.

Richard