I have full grown chickens at home and I am going to bring home new chicks. I want to make sure my chickens at home are completely healthy before I bring home any new chicks, what should I do?
Thanks!
Ok- first of all it’s best not to mix sizes of birds, so if you can keep your chicks separate from the adult flock until they are full sized that’s a really good idea. A friend once had an Araucana hen (average bird) killed instantly when a Malay hen (huge bird) jumped of the roost onto her completely by accident- just one of the risks of size differences in flocks.
It’s also not a good idea to mix adult fowl with chicks too early any way for the reason that small chicks do not have a strong immune system and if there is anything in the adult flock likely to cause problems… well it can be a disaster waiting to happen. The most common thing to be aware of is coccidiosis- all adult hens carry the coccidia to some degree, and all chicks will eventually come into contact with it- it’s just how well the immune system copes. That is why the majority of chick starter and puller grower feeds are medicated- to give the chick a chance to develop an immunity. An adult bird can also pass to the chicks diseases they have been exposed to but not currently showing symptoms… So keep the chicks isolated form the adults as long as possible and feed them an appropriate program of medicated feed.
If you are not in an area where there have been disease outbreaks, you have never had any of the major illnesses in your flock and your hens have never previously been vaccinated then there’s no need to vaccinate. If you don’t have to- don’t do it.
If you HAVE to, the easiest way is to book a vet but it’s also the most expensive way as the vet will charge you for the full bottle of each vaccine and equipment (such a dropper or pricking instrument for each vaccine) plus his time and the house call (if we are not talking about just a handful of birds). You can often also organize to order the vaccines yourself and administer them but this can be complicated and also wasteful- most vaccines come in containers for 1000 – 5000 birds! You MUST mix the full vaccine, AND arrange appropriate disposal of bio-hazardous materials afterwards as mixed vaccines can’t be stored. Some vaccines are administered generally via misting the air over the birds (really only appropriate for commercial sized flocks), and some must be done individually and usually involve either a pin-prick or an eye drop which is very time consuming if you have a large flock. If you are a member of a poultry club, you can sometimes arrange with other club members to purchase vaccines as a co-operative and have much less wastage.
If the vaccines are "live" vaccines, there is the risk that the birds will develop a mild case of the illness (that’s how a lot of vaccines work anyway) and then be "contagious" for a period. Some vaccines have a recommended quarantine period is up to two years! So if you intend to vaccinate you must vaccinate the entire flock at once and that includes the young chicks. (If they are coming from a commercial hatchery, they are probably vaccinated against most of the common diseases themselves already, but you won’t know unless you talk to the hatchery yourself). There is also the risk that if a bird has been exposed to the disease before that they will be a carrier and thus the vaccine adding a "double dose" of the pathogens can actually kill the bird- this can sometimes happen if the diseases are similar as well, for instance vaccinating for ILT when my birds had a mild no-symptom outbreak of mycoplasma related illness resulted in the loss of several great birds.
It is best to avoid vaccination if you can- it’s not really an option for people with small backyard flocks, and it’s not going to ensure your birds are "completely healthy". Just try to keep the chicks away from the adults until their immune systems have developed some, feed them well and appropriately, practice good husbandry (like cleaning out the water containers daily…) and try your best to minimize contact with wild birds because that is where the majority of flocks catch diseases from.
Good luck, Hope this is some help.
Ok- first of all it’s best not to mix sizes of birds, so if you can keep your chicks separate from the adult flock until they are full sized that’s a really good idea. A friend once had an Araucana hen (average bird) killed instantly when a Malay hen (huge bird) jumped of the roost onto her completely by accident- just one of the risks of size differences in flocks.
It’s also not a good idea to mix adult fowl with chicks too early any way for the reason that small chicks do not have a strong immune system and if there is anything in the adult flock likely to cause problems… well it can be a disaster waiting to happen. The most common thing to be aware of is coccidiosis- all adult hens carry the coccidia to some degree, and all chicks will eventually come into contact with it- it’s just how well the immune system copes. That is why the majority of chick starter and puller grower feeds are medicated- to give the chick a chance to develop an immunity. An adult bird can also pass to the chicks diseases they have been exposed to but not currently showing symptoms… So keep the chicks isolated form the adults as long as possible and feed them an appropriate program of medicated feed.
If you are not in an area where there have been disease outbreaks, you have never had any of the major illnesses in your flock and your hens have never previously been vaccinated then there’s no need to vaccinate. If you don’t have to- don’t do it.
If you HAVE to, the easiest way is to book a vet but it’s also the most expensive way as the vet will charge you for the full bottle of each vaccine and equipment (such a dropper or pricking instrument for each vaccine) plus his time and the house call (if we are not talking about just a handful of birds). You can often also organize to order the vaccines yourself and administer them but this can be complicated and also wasteful- most vaccines come in containers for 1000 – 5000 birds! You MUST mix the full vaccine, AND arrange appropriate disposal of bio-hazardous materials afterwards as mixed vaccines can’t be stored. Some vaccines are administered generally via misting the air over the birds (really only appropriate for commercial sized flocks), and some must be done individually and usually involve either a pin-prick or an eye drop which is very time consuming if you have a large flock. If you are a member of a poultry club, you can sometimes arrange with other club members to purchase vaccines as a co-operative and have much less wastage.
If the vaccines are "live" vaccines, there is the risk that the birds will develop a mild case of the illness (that’s how a lot of vaccines work anyway) and then be "contagious" for a period. Some vaccines have a recommended quarantine period is up to two years! So if you intend to vaccinate you must vaccinate the entire flock at once and that includes the young chicks. (If they are coming from a commercial hatchery, they are probably vaccinated against most of the common diseases themselves already, but you won’t know unless you talk to the hatchery yourself). There is also the risk that if a bird has been exposed to the disease before that they will be a carrier and thus the vaccine adding a "double dose" of the pathogens can actually kill the bird- this can sometimes happen if the diseases are similar as well, for instance vaccinating for ILT when my birds had a mild no-symptom outbreak of mycoplasma related illness resulted in the loss of several great birds.
It is best to avoid vaccination if you can- it’s not really an option for people with small backyard flocks, and it’s not going to ensure your birds are "completely healthy". Just try to keep the chicks away from the adults until their immune systems have developed some, feed them well and appropriately, practice good husbandry (like cleaning out the water containers daily…) and try your best to minimize contact with wild birds because that is where the majority of flocks catch diseases from.
Good luck, Hope this is some help.
References :
I am a breeder of champion Araucana, Wyandotte and Japanese chickens. I currently vaccinate regularly for fowl pox (requirement of most poultry shows) and have vaccinated for ILT in the past.