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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 children this Vacation.
Like many mother and father, I bought child chicks for my children at Easter, who shortly grew inside a couple of weeks to egg-laying birds that we stored 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 over time!
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-about by the business to be the “finest 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vaccination have occurred with vaccination by eye drop, coarse spray and superb spray, subcutaneous injection at day outdated, and the more and more fashionable ‘in-ovo’ injection a couple of days earlier than the chick hatches. Under is a video of the method.
This has allowed many extra injections to happen.
Vaccinated Hens Don’t Lay As Lengthy!
In my expertise maintaining egg-laying hens, people 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 12 months to 12 months and a half, after that, egg manufacturing declines sharply in contrast with unvaccinated hens.
By comparability, unvaccinated hens I’ve stored over time will lay frequently till they’re 5-6 years outdated!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 far more sickly.
To present you some concept, out of a batch of 6 vaccinated chicks I raised slightly over 3 years in the past, solely 2 stay (and a kind of is at present sick and has solely ever laid deformed eggs).
A few of you could be questioning why I acquired vaccinated chicks to start with.
The reason being that I used to be below the impression that the feed retailer the place I purchased them had unvaxed chicks. Sadly, this was a mistake on my half.
This error, nonetheless, 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 over time is that the vaccinated hens are focused extra by predators.
For instance, over the past 5 years we’ve more and more skilled hawk assaults in our neighborhood resulting from some heavy growth in a rural space to the north of our group.
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 an inclination to go for these animals because it supplies a better 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 on condition that they have been extra sickly anyway, I doubt that it was happenstance.
At all times Insist on Unvaxed Chicks!
My suggestion to those that hold yard hens is that it’s price it to spend the time in search of out unvaccinated chicks.
And, after all, upon getting these cuties, you should definitely 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 an excellent funding in my expertise.
As well as, who is aware of what the decreased dietary worth of their eggs could be resulting from this medicalization?
For instance, considered one of my vaxed hens constantly 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 appears regular, nonetheless, are the yolk and white truly the identical? We do not 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 infant chicks you choose for your loved ones to develop up into egg layers are unmedicalized.
Feed Retailer
Some feed shops can have unvaccinated chicks.
Trace: These institutions will virtually all the time be independently owned.
Nonetheless, some regionally owned feed shops can have vaccinated chicks too, so you should definitely 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 trying into (you choose vaccination standing at checkout).
The minimal buy is 15 chicks, so shopping for with a pal or two is a good suggestion in the event you solely need a couple of chicks at a time.
Hatch Your Personal!
One other nice possibility is to hatch your individual chicks.
All you want is a rooster and a DIY egg incubator to get began.
We acquired a big, formidable, and but light cockerel from a neighborhood rooster sanctuary. You don’t even have to boost them from a chick in the event you don’t wish to.
Observe that hatching chicks laid from unvaccinated hens goes to provide one of the best outcomes!
Have you ever seen a distinction at your own home between the well being and egg-laying capability between vaccinated and unvaccinated hens?
Please share your expertise with us!
(1) Vaccination within the Hatchery
(2) Poultry Vaccinations
(3) Hoover’s Hatchery
