How to Vaccinate a Chicken

Vaccines help reduce and prevent disease. Some diseases attack many kinds of poultry, others are more breed specific. Maintaining good sanitation facilities and procedures reduces the chance of poultry contracting a viral infection. Disease causes lost income and life, therefore equip yourself with knowledge to keep chickens healthy.

Things You'll Need

  • Vaccine
  • Applicator
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Instructions

  1. Personnel and Sanitary Requirements

    • 1

      Wear outer footwear and garments that clean and disinfect easily when vaccinating for New Castle, Chicken Pox and Laryngotracheitis.

    • 2

      Clean and disinfect all equipment used to vaccinate poultry.

    • 3

      Determine the type of disease and means to vaccinate against it.

    Vaccinate for Marek's Disease

    • 4

      Give by injection the day the chickens hatch.

    • 5

      Place vaccine under the skin behind the neck.

    • 6

      Observe the chickens during a 2 to 12 week period.

    Vaccinate for Infectious Bronchitis

    • 7

      Select a live-virus bronchitis vaccine suitable for your area.

    • 8

      Combine with the Newcastle vaccine and give 10-35 days of age.

    • 9

      Inject killed-virus vaccines by injecting in the muscle or under the skin between 14 to 18 weeks of age.

    Vaccinate for Laryngotracheitis

    • 10

      Check with your state's agriculture department for approval to use this vaccine.

    • 11

      Vaccinate only if a problem exists.

    • 12

      Provide eye or nose drops at 4 weeks or older.

    Vaccinate for Fowl Pox

    • 13

      Use the wing web stick method only when a problem exists.

    • 14

      Dip the slotted needles on the applicator into the vaccine and push through the chicken's wing web.

    • 15

      Employ at 1 day of age for chicks, 10 to 12 weeks for young chickens.

    • 16

      Follow-up when the chicks reach 8 weeks old.

    Vaccinate for Fowl Cholera

    • 17

      Administer after a confirmed problem.

    • 18

      Place live attenuated oral vaccine in the drinking water.

    • 19

      Give two injections of an oil-emulsion bacterins 4 weeks apart.

    Vaccinate for Newcastle Disease

    • 20

      Choose to disperse live-virus vaccine in drinking water, nose or eye drops. Administer to one-day-old chicks.

    • 21

      Give killed-virus vaccine by injecting either under the skin or in the muscle to young chickens before egg production.

    • 22

      Apply a combined Newcastle-Infectious Bronchitis vaccine to chickens 10 to 35 days old. Dispense through drinking water or drops.