Does it matter whether or not you purchase vaccinated or unvaccinated child chicks to create or develop your yard flock of egg-laying hens?

With Easter simply a few weeks away, I assumed I’d pen a couple of phrases about shopping for chicks in your youngsters this Vacation.

Like many mother and father, I bought child chicks for my youngsters at Easter, who rapidly grew inside a couple of weeks to egg-laying birds that we saved in a yard coop.

As I’ve been a yard poultry keeper for a few years now, I assumed I’d opine on my expertise with vaccinated versus vaccinated birds through the years!

Does it actually matter? The reply would possibly shock you.

Most Hatcheries Vaccinate Chicks Whereas Nonetheless within the Egg

Vaccination within the hatchery has all the time been thought of by the trade to be the “greatest case situation” for child chicks. (1)

For a few years, just a few vaccines have been administered. These included:

• Marek’s illness (MD)
• Infectious bronchitis (IB)
• Coccidiosis
• Newcastle illness (ND)
• Swollen head syndrome (SHS)

Lately, new developments in chick vaccination have occurred with vaccination by eye drop, coarse spray and high-quality spray, subcutaneous injection at day outdated, and the more and more fashionable ‘in-ovo’ injection a couple of days earlier than the chick hatches. Beneath is a video of the method.

This has allowed many extra injections to happen.

Vaccinated Hens Don’t Lay As Lengthy!

In my expertise retaining egg-laying hens, those who have been vaccinated as chicks don’t have a tendency to put eggs very lengthy.

Whereas they appear to put usually for the primary yr to yr and a half, after that, egg manufacturing declines sharply in contrast with unvaccinated hens.

By comparability, unvaccinated hens I’ve saved through the years will lay repeatedly till they’re 5-6 years outdated!

Vaccinated Hens Are Sickly

One other downside with hens that have been vaccinated as chicks is that they are typically way more sickly.

To provide you some concept, out of a batch of 6 vaccinated chicks I raised somewhat over Three years in the past, solely 2 stay (and a kind of is presently sick and has solely ever laid deformed eggs).

A few of you is likely to be questioning why I received vaccinated chicks to start with.

The reason being that I used to be beneath the impression that the feed retailer the place I purchased them had unvaxed chicks. Sadly, this was a mistake on my half.

This error, nevertheless, gave me a perspective for comparability, which I’m now sharing with you!

Weaker Hens Most well-liked by Predators

One other factor I’ve seen through the years is that the vaccinated hens are focused extra by predators.

For instance, during the last 5 years we’ve more and more skilled hawk assaults in our neighborhood on account of some heavy growth in a rural space to the north of our neighborhood.

With out exception, the hens which have fallen prey to the hawks have been vaccinated.

Predators instinctively know which animals are the weakest and sickest. They have a tendency to go for these animals because it gives the next fee of success.

Is it only a coincidence that each single hen I’ve misplaced to a hawk over the previous few years was vaccinated? Maybe, however provided that they have been extra sickly anyway, I doubt that it was happenstance.

At all times Insist on Unvaxed Chicks!

My advice to those that preserve yard hens is that it’s price it to spend the time looking for out unvaccinated chicks.

And, after all, after you have these cuties, make sure you feed them natural unmedicated feed!

You spend loads of time elevating these infants into adults, and sickly birds that don’t lay as lengthy will not be a superb funding in my expertise.

As well as, who is aware of what the decreased dietary worth of their eggs is likely to be on account of this medicalization?

For instance, one among my vaxed hens persistently lays deformed eggs (and all the time has). I’ve by no means had an unvaxed hen lay this kind of egg.

Even when the egg seems regular, nevertheless, are the yolk and white really the identical? We don’t know at this level. I haven’t discovered any analysis that has appeared into it.

The place to Get Unvaccinated Chicks

There are 3 ways to make sure that the newborn chicks you choose for your loved ones to develop up into egg layers are unmedicalized.

Feed Retailer

Some feed shops may have unvaccinated chicks.

Trace: These institutions will nearly all the time be independently owned.

Nevertheless, some domestically owned feed shops may have vaccinated chicks too, so make sure you ask and don’t assume (which was my mistake!).

Hatcheries

Whereas fewer and fewer hatcheries are providing unvaccinated chicks, there are nonetheless a couple of round.

Hoover’s Hatchery is the one I like to recommend wanting into (you choose vaccination standing at checkout).

The minimal buy is 15 chicks, so shopping for with a buddy or two is a good suggestion when you solely need a couple of chicks at a time.

Hatch Your Personal!

One other nice choice is to hatch your personal chicks.

All you want is a rooster and a DIY egg incubator to get began.

We received a big, formidable, and but light cockerel from a neighborhood rooster sanctuary. You don’t even have to boost them from a chick when you don’t need to.

Notice that hatching chicks laid from unvaccinated hens goes to supply the very best outcomes!

Have you ever seen a distinction at your home between the well being and egg-laying capability between vaccinated and unvaccinated hens?

Please share your expertise with us!

References