For Selling Eggs...Are Chicken Vaccinations Required?

[TheMartianChick]

I am new to BYC and I'm not quite ready to get my first birds yet. However, I am wondering if the birds that I eventually get should be vaccinated?

I have looked at many of the websites where you can order them and I notice that it is offered for an additional fee. Is there a particular reason why someone wouldn't want to have their birds vaccinated other than that they plan to do it themselves? Is it a requirement that the chickens be vaccinated if the eggs are being sold?

Does vaccination affect the way that eggs can be marketed? In other words, if your egg-layers are vaccinated birds can the eggs still be marketed as organic (if they meet the other government standards)?

 

[SeaChick]

I am pretty sure that they cannot be vaccinated if you want to sell the eggs as organic...... which leads me to believe that it wouldn't matter one way or the other.

you should be aware though that it's really tough to conform to true organic standards, and may be misleading to call them organic if they're really not. There are some excellent threads on this board (Use the SEARCH function) that talk about the "organic" labeling.

I see lots of eggs around here that are labeled "free range hens fed organic feed" which would certainly be a looser way to describe it (assuming you intend to free range) while still getting the idea across that the eggs are good & healthy. Or, something like "Fresh eggs from happy hens fed organic feed"

Just my 2 cents.

 

[jimnjay]

There is no requirement for chickens to be vaccinated in order to sell the eggs. If you are producing Organic then it is my understanding that you can not vaccinate. People choose to vaccinate in order to be on the safe side where diseases are concerned. There are a few vaccines that can affect your flock that may not already be vaccinated. I had mine vaccinated for Mareks and later hatched out my own. It did not affect the birds that came later. It is always a good idea to make sure the birds do not continue to shed the disease prior to making the decision on vaccinating. It would not be a problem if you always buy from a hatchery or feel comfortable vaccinating yourself.

 

[ksacres]

Organic producers are allowed to use vaccines and even certain pesticides.

But, no, you do not need to vaccinate to sell eggs, in fact, I prefer to buy from healthy but non-vaccinated flocks.

 

[TheMartianChick]

Quote:
If you don't mind my asking, what is the reason for your preference? I am curious to know if there are all lot of people who feel the way that you do.

I actually had no intention of selling my eggs as organic unless the government somehow made it easier, which they never make ANYTHING easy!

I was looking into creating some of the alternative phrasing, similar to those suggested above. I wasn't sure if vaccines somehow made the eggs disqualified for organic labeling and if I would need to find a way to disclose that my stock was vaccinated on the carton if I wanted to use the alternate phrasing.

Thanks to you all for the responses. I didn't expect to get answers so quickly!

 

[ksacres]

Well, I don't know that *a lot* of people feel the way I do, but I know there are a few.

Vaccinations weaken the natural immune system. I think letting nature do as intended is better than artificial anything.

Medications when not needed lead to the so-called "superbugs" that become resistant to treatment. Staph in humans is a good example, there's a strain that is super contagious and can't be treated in the normal ways with the normal antibiotics.

Worming imporperly or when you don't have a worm problem leads to parasites developing resistance to wormers. Pyrethrins (sp) can't be used anymore in many states because they offer no protection due to parasite resistance.

Also, antibiotics indiscriminantly kill ALL bacteria, not just the bad guys. ALL wormers are toxic, if they weren't, they wouldn't kill the worms. Vaccinated chicks can be carriers and infect healthy non-vaccinated birds. If you don't need these things, using them is a diservice to your animals.

The only time I would say vaccinate, is if you *know* there is a certain disease in your area. Obviously, if your birds are sick, I would advocate the proper antibiotics on a case by case basis.

*Disclaimer* This is MY opinion, I'm not a vet and can't (and don't want) to tell you what to do with YOUR birds. *Disclaimer*

 

[TheMartianChick]

Quote:
Thank you so much for sharing your opinion with me. I certainly respect the way that you feel and I have heard similar beliefs from others (so you are not alone!) I think that you make alot of valid points and you have definitely given me something to think about.

Since I don't have any birds yet, it is a good time for me to learn from everyone here and figure out what will work best for me.

 

[falloonfarm]

I sell eggs as well, I know some of my chicks (purchased) were vaccinated, those I hatched were not. I did feed medicated feed for the first month and everyone is just fine.

When I got certified to sell, neither the state nor the county asked if I had vaccinated, so if they don't ask, I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I've stripped this down to emphasize the part that actually relates to vaccinating chickens, because it can be something significant to think about.

I do not know what vaccines are in use right now, but the ones listed in the Chicken Health Handbook (from, what, the mid-90's?) are primarily live attenuated vaccines. Which while they confer some extra resistance to the disease really *can* introduce the disease into a flock where it wasn't previously. Hence the author's admonition to vaccinate only for diseases that are a real problem in your flock or area, not just attempt to do it blindly/preemptively. That is, only use when likely benefit outweighs likely risk.

If anyone has info on the vaccine type of the CURRENTLY used common chicken vaccines, I'd really like to know!


Pat

 

[speckledhen]

I do not vaccinate for exactly the reason Pat mentioned, the live virus component. None of my birds are ever vaccinated for anything.