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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 just a few phrases about shopping for chicks in your youngsters this Vacation.
Like many dad and mom, I bought child chicks for my youngsters at Easter, who rapidly grew inside just a few 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 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 at all times been thought-about by the trade to be the “finest case state of affairs” 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)
In recent times, 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vaccination have occurred with vaccination by eye drop, coarse spray and superb spray, subcutaneous injection at day outdated, and the more and more standard ‘in-ovo’ injection just a few days earlier than the chick hatches.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 maintaining 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 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By comparability, unvaccinated hens I’ve stored through the years will lay recurrently till they’re 5-6 years outdated!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 present you some concept, out of a batch of 6 vaccinated chicks I raised somewhat over 3 years in the past, solely 2 stay (and a type of is at the moment sick and has solely ever laid deformed eggs).
A few of you could 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 popular by Predators
One other factor I’ve observed through the years 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 a tendency to go for these animals because it supplies a better price 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 suggestion to those that hold yard hens is that it’s value it to spend the time in search of out unvaccinated chicks.
And, after all, after you have these cuties, you’ll want to 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 could be resulting from this medicalization?
For instance, one among my vaxed hens constantly lays deformed eggs (and at all times has). I’ve by no means had an unvaxed hen lay the sort of egg.
Even when the egg appears to be like regular, nevertheless, are the yolk and white truly the identical? We don’t know at this level. I haven’t discovered any analysis that has seemed 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 at all times be independently owned.
Nevertheless, some regionally owned feed shops may have vaccinated chicks too, so you’ll want to ask and don’t assume (which was my mistake!).
Hatcheries
Whereas fewer and fewer hatcheries are providing unvaccinated chicks, there are nonetheless just a few 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 when you solely need just a few 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 an area rooster sanctuary. You don’t even have to boost them from a chick when you don’t need to.
Be aware that hatching chicks laid from unvaccinated hens goes to supply the very best outcomes!
Have you ever observed a distinction at your 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
