Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: nuzuki on May 06, 2012, 20:24

Title: 3rd time lucky - I hatched some eggs/chicks. Should I vaccinate?
Post by: nuzuki on May 06, 2012, 20:24

I managed to hatch some marans and light sussex's using a homemade incubator and now am wondering if I should vaccinate them?

My end goal is to have chickens for the eggs and possibly sell the eggs to people in my village. So can I do this without vaccination?

The main purpose of my question is not wanting to break the law by selling eggs from unvaccinated chickens.

Thanks for any advice :)

Title: Re: 3rd time lucky - I hatched some eggs/chicks. Should I vaccinate?
Post by: joyfull on May 06, 2012, 20:30

vaccines need to be given from day old onwards and there are so many to do. Most people don't bother as they come in batches 500 - 1000 and can cost quite a lot.

Title: Re: 3rd time lucky - I hatched some eggs/chicks. Should I vaccinate?
Post by: GrannieAnnie on May 06, 2012, 20:41

And you are not breaking the law by selling your eggs to the locals, but you can't sell them for example to cafes or hotels.

Title: Re: 3rd time lucky - I hatched some eggs/chicks. Should I vaccinate?
Post by: nuzuki on May 06, 2012, 22:22

Thanks for the replies. I did suspect most people dont bother but just wanted to double check.

I have added a little garlic to their water. Is this right? Any other handy tips?

I noticed one of them feeding on the chick crumb I left out and he/she showed the others so now they are pecking away happily. I shall upload some pics and video soon and maybe do a how to guide for my new homemade incubator and brooder box to hopefully help others.

So right now they are in a brooder box set at 30deg C which I was worried would be a little low but they all seem to be happy. Im using 2 fireglow bulbs at one end of the brooder so they have a hot end and a cold end. Other than that they have their garlic water and chick crumb.

I have other eggs in the incubator which I have water tested and they all look good so hopefully theres more on the way, tomorrow is day 22

Exciting times :D

Title: Re: 3rd time lucky - I hatched some eggs/chicks. Should I vaccinate?
Post by: GrannieAnnie on May 06, 2012, 22:26

I've never put anything in the chicks water until they are off heat.  Not sure if garlic is good for them at that age.

Glad you had some success with your homemade incubator.  How many chicks did you get in the end?

Title: Re: 3rd time lucky - I hatched some eggs/chicks. Should I vaccinate?
Post by: nuzuki on May 06, 2012, 22:32

I have so far 5 chicks, 1 is still hatching and I hear cheeping from some other eggs. Out of the 18 eggs I started with, 1 broke from the post, 3 were thrown away due to not showing anything on candling. So I have 8 left in the incubator including the hatching one at present.

12 are marans and 6 are light sussexs :)