Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
prone to certain diseases, such as Newcastle disease, that are
easily protected against by vaccination but are incurable once
contracted and can easily wipe out a flock.
I order vaccination supplies from an online veterinary supply
company—Jeffers Livestock—and administer the
vaccinations myself. Most vaccines come in a size suitable for
vaccinating 1,000 birds, which is not particularly suitable for
a backyard flock. I vaccinate my laying chickens for
Newcastle disease and infectious bronchitis (IB).
Newcastle disease is a highly contagious viral illness of birds
that has been recognized since the 1920s. It manifests in
various forms, some of which cause as much as 90%
mortality in a flock. Newcastle disease infects and is spread
by all manner of birds, and it is endemic throughout Western
Europe and North America. Most birds don't experience the
levels of mortality and debility that manifest in domestic
chickens, though. It is primarily spread by droppings. In plain
English, this means that all that is needed for your flock to be
wiped out is for a sparrow to poop into your chicken yard
while flying over. (As a side note, the virus causes a mild
conjunctivitis in humans and is particularly toxic to cancer
cells in humans while leaving normal cells practically
unharmed. Research into this is ongoing.)
So vaccinating your flock is a good idea. Meanwhile, while
the Newcastle vaccine is available on its own, it can also be
purchased as a combined vaccine for IB.
IB is caused by a highly contagious coronavirus that mutates
rapidly. While the immediate mortality rate from IB tends to
be low, it can permanently damage the kidneys and
